Glow of Dawn
by Blu Jitsu
Summary: Strider rescued a girl long ago and situations forced him to train her in all he knew. Fast forward years later and she joins the fellowship on their quest to save Middle-earth. 10th Walker, eventual Legolas/OC (FotR-RotK-and way beyond)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own and this is my first trip down the LOTR lane. I've only seen the movies and read part of the series so please be patient with me. Story is over 50 chapters so far and I'm still working on it, will try to release a chapter once a week – if not more. Thanks and I hope that you enjoy, just try it!

One last thing – I want to give a huge shout-out to my beta Lady Crack, thank you for answering all my pesky questions and always getting back to me as soon as possible. You are great and I'm dedicating this fic to you, just wanted to say thanks for everything! Now…let us begin our tale, shall we?

**Glow of Dawn**

Silently they waited.

The man made himself comfortable in the old, beaten wood of their shared booth. His back rested against a wall, a black hood keeping his face out of view from all as he leisurely enjoyed smoking his pipe. Though most there would not know it, a female was among the local drunkards. In the same booth as her familiar companion and mentor, the girl sat on the other side of the table between them, her senses intent on all that surrounded them. One could not tell though, as like the man, she kept her figure and face hidden beneath a heavy dark blue cloak.

Ah, there it was. She made a simple gesture towards the man, as silence continued to reign between them, informing him that their targets had arrived at last. Long before the man could hear them, the girl picked up the burdened footsteps of a smaller race. At the man's barely noticeable nod of acknowledgement, she slipped quietly from the table. Taking a seat at the bar and ordering an ale; she lay in wait, listening to the four hobbits asking for Gandalf the Grey.

Most curious indeed. So the whispered rumors had been right. They were meant to be here in Bree after all, to become the disruption of the Nazgûl's hunt.

Long had the two of them been roaming the northern lands as rangers. Taking on quests as time went along. No one remembered her, only a few actually knew her, and that was just fine with the female warrior. Remaining in the shadows is what she did best. Her past was an ill one, painted with gory stories of death and mysteries, in her time beside the man she had become an extension of his blade.

The wizard Gandalf was one of the few that she was in confidence with, and when his request came to watch over the Shire, to look for two hobbits in Bree, she was ready to partake in a new adventure. An adventure she and her mentor would learn to be the saving of Middle-earth.

A good hour had passed with the four hobbits, not two but four, sitting rather quietly amongst themselves. The great thing with her senses was that she did not need to look in their direction to know what they were doing. Her sharp ears heard the rough sound of two chairs scratching against the floor as two hobbits made their way to the bar, quite close to her in fact, and ordered drinks for themselves. While one went straight back to the table with his drink, she heard the other linger and eventually inquire about the larger drinks he'd seen the men having. A pint, the girl hid a smile, the wee hobbit was in for a night of fun wasn't he? And it was to her brief amusement when the other drinking hobbit made a fuss upon seeing his friend's much larger drink than his own and quickly went to get his own.

"That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we've arrived."

She stiffened after picking up the conversation between the two non-drinking hobbits, so one at least had noticed Strider's gaze upon them. The barkeep was then stopped and he hesitantly gave them the ranger's name. It was of no consequence, for all of them were to be soon acquainted with each other. As was Gandalf's will. What had delayed the grey wizard, she didn't know, they had been expecting him as well as the half-lings.

And then evil was set against them.

"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins, he's over there."

Her trained ears heard the sharp jump of a chair being pushed back and a hobbit was suddenly standing. Quickly she rose from her seat and made her way towards the other side of the bar.

"Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side. And my third cousin twice removed on his father's side, if you follow me."

The hobbit in question pulled on the other's sleeve, "Pippin!"

"Steady on Frodo!" and just as she rounded the corner towards them, the hobbit Frodo fell backwards, a golden ring tossing and spiraling down towards him as he lay there.

Still she walked, in the very edge of her vision she saw Strider raise as well, his gaze locked onto the golden band and its descent. It was unbelievable how the ring of power was openly displayed like that. It should have been well hidden on the fallen hobbit's person. Just as she neared Frodo, he vanished into thin air, bringing her up short in slight wonder. Her eyes then caught her companion's and the search for the missing hobbit commenced. This was not good. Not good at all.

Strider was the one to find him just after he reappeared under a table, safe from the eyes of most in the bar. Thankfully most of them were all far too drunk to believe what they'd just seen. She watched as Strider led the hobbit upstairs, probably into his room for the night. Quickly her gaze sought out the remaining three hobbits, and quickly she rushed as one grabbed a chair, another with a candlestick, and the last moving towards the staircase with only his mere fists in hand. She followed after them, catching up just as the bare handed one flew open the door. Both her hands at the ready for the twin blades strapped on her back.

"Let him go or I'll have you, Longshanks!"

Over the heads of the hobbit Strider sent her a slight smile just as he re-sheathed his own blade.

"You have a stout heart little hobbit," Strider told him, "but that alone won't save you."

And with that she quickly yet easily took the chair and candlestick from the other two's grasp. The three turned in stunned surprise at seeing another behind them, previously unnoticed. She ushered them forward and closed the door silently behind her, taking another look to make sure no eyes followed them.

Strider took a step towards their captive friend, "You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo," he glanced toward his ward who gave him an agreeing nod, "They're coming."

"Who are you!?" cried out the hobbit that had the first pint.

"They call me Strider," he gave them.

"And you," the other said, the one who called out Frodo's given name," who are you?"

Eyeing the others she pulled off her hood and called out to them, "You may call me Light. Now please, your names? Other than Frodo that is, by now all of Bree know who he is."

The one who spoke his friend's name flinched, "I'm Pippin and that's Merry," he pointed out his close friend, "and that's Samwise Gamgee with Frodo there."

"How do you know of the wizard we seek?" Frodo asked in caution.

It took a bit of time to explain things to Frodo and his traveling companions, and a scant two hours later the four hobbits finally fell into a restless sleep. Strider kept his lookout through the window while Light made her way back down to the bar to make sure the name of Baggins didn't go further into the village. It had though, and Light made her way out into the dark rain to follow the whispers. Thinking on her feet she made her way into the room where the hobbits were supposed to be staying, and hoping she could delay their hunters by setting their beds to appear as though hobbits slept there. Out into the rain again, she walked slowly around the inn. Within thirty minutes her fear came true. She heard the great gate of Bree crash down and sudden gallops of the ringwraiths enter the small city.

Swiftly she flew back into the inn and up to the room, warning the barkeep as she hurried along, managing to get him to take cover quickly. Entering Strider's room she walked to him, pulled down her hood and said, "They are here."

He nodded towards the roaring blaze behind him, "Dim the fire and watch the door, keep your ears open Light."

Nodding in understanding, she threw a glass of water onto the fire, satisfied to see its glow lowered enough to hide any moving shadows they might stir within the room. She then took her spot as sentry near the door, one hand at the ready on her shoulder, near one of the two blades she kept on her back if needed.

And then silence. With her trained hearing she knew they were in the room the hobbits were originally given. With a deathly shrill, she nearly their felt blades falling into the mattresses. Soon the screams of the wraiths filled the air when they found nothing but empty beds, their unnatural sounds waking the hobbits from their troubled sleep.

"What are they?" Frodo asked in a quiet voice.

"They were once men," Strider glanced at him before looking back out through the window, "Great kings of men. Then Sauron the deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness and now they are slaves to his will." He eyed the wraiths leaving the inn, his gaze soon went to Light's and noticed her posture slightly relax, so they were leaving Bree then, "They are the Nazgûl, ringwraiths, neither living or dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring, drawn to the power of the one. They will never stop hunting you."


	2. Chapter 2

The morning was grey with the leftover low-hanging clouds evidenced from the thick storm that passed through the night. Once the wraiths left, Light took up Strider's post at the window while he went into the dark of night to provision supplies. Neither had any sleep, but it was something they had come accustomed to during their quests.

Making sure the hobbits had their fill Strider quickly led them through the muddied streets of Bree and out into the fields beyond. The half-lings paced along behind, talking quietly amongst themselves as the morning slowly faded into afternoon.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo finally asked.

Strider responded back but continued moving along, "Into the wild."

There was more to it than that as Light knew to where they were headed, she'd been there before, only twice though and for small amounts of time at that. As she and her mentor studied their surroundings, their traveling companions continued to speak to themselves, bringing to attention whether or not to trust them.

"But where are they leading us?" the stout voice of Sam rose above the others.

Glancing back, the ranger told him, "To Rivendell, Master Gamgee, to the house of Elrond."

Light hid another smile while excitement grew between the hobbits. It wasn't a scant hour later when the half-lings suddenly stopped and un-wrapped their sacks.

"Gentlemen," Strider called out, "we do not stop until nightfall."

Pippin looked at him in confusion, "What about breakfast?"

Blinking, Light reminded them, "You've already had it."

"We've had one yes, but what about second breakfast?" he smarted to her.

Shaking his head Strider moved forward with his long-time ward just behind him. He took out two apples and tossed one to her with a mischievous grin. The two hobbits were still talking all the while Sam and Frodo started repacking their gear. Strider tossed the apple back towards them with Merry deftly catching it. All the while Light followed him up with a toss of her own towards them, allowing a smile once she heard the hard fruit making contact with Pippin's forehead.

They were all making good time as the party moved through the plains. Eventually the afternoon began to dim into the starting shadows of night. And when they happened upon the great ruins of the Watchtower of Amon Sul, Strider indicated that they'd rest there for the evening. Brandishing the rough swords he'd gathered for them to use if needed in their journey, he told them to keep them close while he and Light had a look around.

Moving about in the thick blackness of night, either made a sound as they searched the area around the tower. Making her way back up towards the small dip in the rock they'd left the hobbits in, Light noticed a faint glow of fire coming from the area. The fools, they should know better than to cast a light like that this late. And sure enough screeches and squeals of the ringwraiths were heard. She could see their dark cloaked figures making their way swiftly, unnaturally, up towards them.

Cautioning a glance towards Strider she could see he was already moving up as well to aid the hobbits. Nearly falling off a rock that started to give way under her body's weight, she reached for another and pulled herself up.

Finally reaching the top the half-lings were already doing their best to fend off the evil of the Nazgûl. Where was Frodo though, he wasn't anywhere. Ah there perhaps, maybe he was hiding just over the ledge where one of the wraiths stood off to the side. Making her way towards him she felt a sense of dread as the wraith stabbed his sword into the hard stone of Weathertop.

Both blades already in her hands she swung down upon the arm of the one that stabbed into the stone, making the sword fall away from its figure. Strider then arrived and helped ward off the rest of the wraiths. All the while Frodo finally appeared out of thin air crying out in pain. Sam rushed to his side as Strider flung his torch into the shadowed face of one of the ring hunters, causing it to drop its blade and chase away.

While Strider dealt with the last wraith Light rushed to Frodo's side, checking the wound to his shoulder. Sam was demanding that she and Strider do something to help. Strider had always been the healer of the two, she could wrap bandages and knew of herbs to use, but she had not the knowledge the man did of such things.

One thing was for sure though, he needed elvish medicine. Clutching the poor half-ling to his shoulder, they set out quickly through the night towards Rivendell. It was no use though; it was a good six days journey from where they were; five if they barely slept at night.

They finally had to stop as Frodo slipped in and out of consciousness, they could not linger here as they all knew the wraiths were still out there tracking them down.

"Light, get kingsfoil, it will help slow the poison, hurry!" Strider demanded as he headed off in the opposite direction.

Thankfully she found some quickly and cut it with her hidden knife. Moving as fast as she could towards the hobbits she mashed the weeds together and moistened it with her saliva, then with careful precision she lay it into the grotesque wound upon Frodo's shoulders.

There was a bright light coming from the direction Strider went off to, and through the hazy glare Light noticed the familiar Arwen focusing on Frodo, probably bringing him back to the light with her inner voice.

"Who is she?" Pippin asked.

With a soft voice Light told them, "She's an elf."

It wasn't long afterwards that Strider and the she-elf argued briefly over who would ride Arwen's horse to Rivendell. Eventually it was Arwen as she had always been the faster rider, and her people would protect her once she entered the realm of her father's house. Strider and the others looked after her, watching until the horse bearing its two riders out of the wood and straight towards Rivendell.

With a sigh, he tried to appease Sam, to encourage him that Frodo's only chance was to get to the house of Elrond as quickly as possible. The wraiths were long gone now, ever in their pursuit of the one ring, they had all fled after Arwen and Frodo. Announcing that they would make camp there for the night, the rest of the troop went about setting up bedrolls. Strider told his ward to get some sleep and that he would keep watch, after a while she finally managed to fall into a light slumber.

The three hobbits were fairly quiet over the course of their hurried travels to get to Rivendell. They all pushed on, walking further than they probably should have each day, all in an effort to learn the fate of dear Frodo.

It was late afternoon when they had arrived on the fifth day. Light only hesitated for a few moments before following after the others into the woods of the elves. The realm itself was beautiful and it had been a while since she'd last been here. Once they crossed an intricately carved bridge into the heart of Rivendell, the hobbits seemed to perk right up at the sight before them. Rushing waterfalls, creeks and streams ever winding around old trees that seemed to glow golden under the falling sun was quite a scene to behold.

Arwen was the first to greet them, finally resting all their hearts with the news that her father, Lord Elrond, had saved Frodo from fading. And despite the fact that the injured hobbit was still sleeping and healing, Sam had insisted he be taken to sit beside him. Merry and Pippin were never far from Frodo and Sam either, though they took more time to adventure around Rivendell, taking in all its glory and beauty. That wasn't the only news they received though, Gandalf had finally arrived, and they had learned he had quite the ordeal with the head of his order Saruman.

Light had always felt slightly uneasy here in this realm of the elves, despite her own heritage. Memories always flooded her here as old and foul thoughts of her past seemed to haunt her mind. Strider; or Aragorn rather, had always seemed at home in Rivendell. And well he should, he had after all, spent the early years of his life here under the careful watch of Elrond himself. His ease at being here is what kept her from wandering back out into the wild, she fed off the comfort and strength of his presence. So, as it had always been, she lingered near him at most times.

For a few days they all rested until finally the missing wizard arrived. He was dirtied with dried wind and old sweat, yet brandishing a new staff in his weary grip. Gandalf relayed the news of Saruman's betrayal. That was the very reason why he'd been thusly delayed from meeting not only the hobbits in Bree; but also the rendezvous point with Strider and Light.

While the great wizard was taken to be cleaned up, Light made her way to the room she'd been staying in. It was long after when a soft knock came to her door. Upon opening it, she came face to face with Arwen.

"My lady," Light slightly bowed in her presence.

Arwen merely smiled and reached for her hand, "Would you walk with me?"

"Of course," she replied. After all, Arwen had always been friendly towards her. Over the years since her traveling began with Aragorn, Arwen had been a recurring presence in and out of her life. If she were to be honest with herself, Light could admit that she both admired and envied the life the fair she-elf led. In another time, in another life, it could have been her that was raised by her elven kind, not by the rough hands of humans until Strider saved her.

Together they walked, arm in arm, moving slowly yet lightly through the winding trails leading into dense woods. Eventually Arwen stopped walking as they neared a clear pool of water just ahead. Light released her arm and took a few steps ahead of her companion, taking in the scene. She'd never been to this part of the wood before, the air was thick yet she found solace here in this place.

"He's going to ask you again, you know this don't you?" Arwen finally asked in elvish.

Light let out a small sigh and turned to face the fair elleth, "I'm surprised he hasn't yet." She watched Arwen give her a small smile as she turned to look down into the pool watching as the water swirled in the slow current fed from a nearby stream. "Arwen, you know I don't belong here, I never have."

With a breathy sigh of her own Arwen again faced her, "My father does not understand your reasons for refusing him," a slender hand rose to gently finger the shimmering pendant at her neck, "my father does not understand many things it seems."

Light's own heart ached for the one before her, as her story was a sad one indeed. She came closer to the elder elf and lightly held her shoulder, keeping it there while her friend's gaze met her own once more, "He loves you."

"Yes, I know."

The two stared at each other until a simple tear fell from Arwen's eyes, and soon bittersweet laughter bubbled between both of them. Light removed her hand but stayed close to her as she spoke, "I cannot stay here," she admitted, "too long have I been in the wild. I would grow restless."

"Tell me, how many summers have you spent fighting by Aragorn's side now?" Arwen asked in slight amusement.

"Just shy of twenty eight."

"And yet you still appear as though you are barely eighteen."

"Come Arwen, you are one to speak, Evenstar of Rivendell," Light teased.

Arwen merely kept her gaze on her, finally stating, "And you lived fourteen summers before then, making you forty two years old. Amina, the time is approaching, the time where you will decide your fate."

Frowning, the girl turned to the side to face the small pool, "Mortality or immortality. Should the time be now, I would choose the former," turning her head towards the elf, she looked her straight in the eye, "You of all elves should understand."

"Oh Amina," she stepped closer to her and slowly moved the golden brown tresses to show a delicately pointed ear, "you are young yet, and such a fierce warrior already."

Light watched as Arwen seemed to fade into her own memories for a time, "Arwen," she hesitated, "have you resented me? Resented the years I've spent with him?" She did love Strider, how could she not, everything she knew was taught by him. But it was never that kind of passionate love she knew sparked between him and the maiden before her. And Arwen, she'd always been so kind to her, she felt close to her, and it troubled her mind to ever think she was a burden.

"Your time with Aragorn?" Arwen looked startled, and then tried to soothe her fears, "No my dear, I have never resented you."

"The feelings in my heart for him are not the same that you carry," Light told her softly, "he is a bother in my eyes only."

At that Arwen smiled and embraced the girl, "And you a sister to me Amina, your presence has always felt familiar in my heart."

Amina gulped at the sudden emotion flooding her throat and eventually hugged her back with just as much ferocity, "Thank you Arwen," and a moment later she knew the elder elf knew what she meant. Knew what Amina could not voice aloud. That she was ever grateful to Aragorn, and to Arwen as well, for making her a part of their bond. As though she were actually part of a family.

And then there more laughter, tears of joy springing from both maidens as they talked amongst themselves. Slowly and with light hearts they made their way back towards the rooms.

Arwen smiled happily and placed a soft kiss onto the younger one's forehead and bid her a fair night. Light slept peacefully for the first time in a very long time.


	3. Chapter 3

"You are not just a human, you are part man and part elf. You know this."

Light held back a glare as Lord Elrond continued to speak down at her, with a tense voice she volleyed back, "And you very well know that I was raised among humans, it is all I have ever known."

"It is all you know because of your refusal to learn the way of the elves," he leaned down towards her seated position.

She closed her eyes to calm her growing anger and spoke with clenched teeth, "Why should I?" Opening her blue-grey eyes she stared at him with her own strength, "You know my story Lord Elrond," her voice lost its edge as memories came in, "I apologize for speaking in anger at you, but the answer is still no."

The great elf softened his gaze and kneeled before her. Taking her hands in his he softly told her, "Let me show you that elves are not as wicked as you believe. Amina, you are of my kin, give us a chance to show you the true nature of elven kind. I too am half-elven just as you."

A shuddering sigh escaped her lips, her eyes misting over lightly as her gaze was caught by the powerful elf before her, "Lord Elrond," she breathed, "I know the kindness you speak of, I have experienced it with yourself and of your kin. But my heart still lies with my human mother. It still resides with the human man that rescued me, the man that raised me and taught me all I know. I am sorry but I cannot deny my heart." She thought for a moment and continued on, "That is not to say a time may come when I will wish to stay here with you; however, now is not that time."

Letting out his own breath of resignation he rose, "Very well; however, my house will always be open to you, as it has always been open before."

Rising herself Amina sent him a tired smile and bowed. She whispered her thanks knowing his heightened hearing could pick up her light tone and deftly left his side.

Elrond sighed to himself and sunk into the very chair she just vacated. He knew of Arwen's feelings for the half-elf. And despite all of the disagreements between him and the female ranger, he knew there was a part of him that cared as well, she reminded him of the choices his own brother made so many years ago. She was dear to both his daughter and that of Aragorn. But he knew what the others did not. Always he'd been gifted with glimpses of the future. And if the girl decided to stay her course, to forsake the immortality of being an elf, she will die. Die long before her time as a human would normally allow.

Leaving his quarters, Amina was struck with a sense of finality in her discussion with Lord Elrond. It went unspoken that the time of the elves in Middle-earth was nearly over. It was no secret that more and more of the fair race were choosing to sail to their undying lands. Yet she hadn't lied to him; there may come a time when she would like to spend time and learn under his house. But by the time she feels ready it may already be too late. Her current steps thus far were the steps towards mortality. She was older than she appeared, and Arwen was right, it wouldn't be much longer now before her choice of mortality would win over her body. It would come within the next decade. To elves, she was yet a child while to humans she was a forty two year old in an eighteen year old body.

Leaning over one of the many balconies to calm her thoughts, she witnessed the beautifully carved front gates open and a few horses bearing human male riders entered. One of them glanced up towards her, catching her eyes for a few seconds before approaching elves and speaking to them in greeting.

She had learned from Aragorn this very morning after breakfast that a council meeting was to be held the following day. Great men, dwarves, and elves from other realms were to gather and decide the fate of Sauron's ring. As his apprentice she was to be there at his side during the deliberations. Amina accepted his word with ease as she had always been diligent in his requests.

Moving away from the banister she moved through the airy balconies and bridges until she came across two of the hobbits. Frodo was finally walking about and she sat with him and Sam for the rest of the afternoon. They eased her troubled mind as dark times approached with their light banter and philosophical views.

The troublesome Elrohir, one half of Lord Elrond's twin sons, stopped by for a moment and joined in with them. When the male elf suddenly stood and gasped he relayed that he was supposed to tell them that dinner was ready…almost half an hour ago.

Sam patted his belly and announced that he was rather starved at the moment. So they followed the elf towards the eating hall. All had glanced up at the four of them as they entered. Elrohir joined his brother Elladan and sister Arwen while Frodo and Sam quickly sat opposite of Merry and Pippin. Seeking out Aragorn, Light found him and smiled as she sat next to him.

With a brow raised in question and amusement dancing in his eyes he pushed a plate he'd saved in her direction. She thanked him and dove into the savory meal, closing her eyes briefly in satisfaction, turned out she was hungrier than she first believed. With eyes opening she paused in eating as she noticed several pair of eyes on her, of unfamiliar elves and men alike. Bringing a drink of water to her lips, she washed back the fluid and set it down to return to her food.

She knew why they stared. All wondering what a woman was doing here in Rivendell of all places, next to the famed ranger Strider no less. Keeping a secret smile hidden to herself she figured no one recognized her without her dark blue hood no longer hiding her face and figure. And while she-elves were expected, human women were not. And she knew why she had been mistaken as a human woman. Her skin had always been slightly more flushed than any of the elves she'd yet to cross paths with, guessing that her direct human blood allowed for her to be slightly tanned by the scorching sun. Her hair fell to her lower mid-back and it was dark, but with golden hues imbued within, just as it was for her mother. It was not the same cool darkness the elves had. Not only that, but she had always made it a habit to keep her pointed ears covered beneath the weight of her hair. A habit she learned before she was rescued by Aragorn in hope the villagers would leave her alone. She was forced to hide her heritage in the small community she and her mother lived in otherwise she'd be cast out and her mother beaten or even killed.

Shaking off the foul memories of old, Amina remained by Aragorn's side until he was called to speak with Gandalf and Lord Elrond. She'd finished her meal a while ago and felt it was time to depart these halls and get away from the lingering stares. As she walked behind Arwen she gingerly clasped her shoulder with her hand and smiled at her in passing.

Soon she found herself in the great gallery beholding ancient paintings, old books and the tale of a war fought long ago. Still perusing the painted walls she turned to see Aragorn just enter the area. He sent her a brief smile and came up to her. They talked briefly, talking about the upcoming meeting the next day and of Gandalf's troubling plight. Soon they settled down, she continued glancing at the art while he picked up a book and a comfortable silence fell between them.

Soon another man entered, it was the same man she saw at the gates earlier in the day. He too started to look around at the great art until he noticed the broken blade of Narsil, the very blade that cut the ring from Sauron's hand to win the war of Middle-earth ages ago.

From the shadows Amina and Aragorn both watched as the man put the blade to his finger and cut it open.

"Still sharp," he stated, then he must have sensed them watching him as his eyes met Aragorn's, "but no more than a broken heirloom."

Hastily the man returned the hilt to its place of rest only for it to end up clattering to the floor, ringing loudly throughout the dark halls. The man hesitated before making his exit and Aragorn moved to stand before the large statue that housed his ancestor's broken blade.

Amina reached for the hilt and quietly put it back to be properly displayed. Putting a hand to his shoulder they shared a knowing look. She then noticed the shadows of another approaching, her own senses telling her it was Arwen and she decided to let the two have their privacy.

Upon making it outdoors, Amina took in the beauty of the evening as night embraced the valley of Rivendell. The hour had grown late and she decided to retire to her room. The moon was high and many stars were shining brightly this night. Amina had always felt at home under the dark skies of night, it brought about pleasant memories of her mother during happier times of her childhood. It was always under the grace of the moon and stars when she was told stories before going to bed.

With a soft smile she came upon a narrow stone bridge over a wide, rapidly moving creek. And it was here when she glanced across that her eyes took in the form of another on the other side, also looking to pass in the direction she had come from. Under the light of the starry sky she saw that it was a male elf, probably not of Rivendell given his light blonde hair and dark green tunic.

He seemed to notice her then as well, then stepped back and raised his arm outward with a slight bow to allow her first passage, "My lady."

With a soft breath leaving her lungs she made her way over the stone bridge and the peaceful rush of water below. As she grew closer to him she noticed the tips of the arrows he carried in the quiver upon his back, so he was an elf from Mirkwood then, a wood-elf. She'd only met one elf from there before, the King Thranduil. He was a stern fellow, and not once did he ever address her. Of course she had remained in the shadows as Strider delivered him the charge of keeping Gollum under lock and key several years ago. She was sure he'd known she was there as he glanced right at her at one point. Back then she was still very wary of elves, male elves in particular.

With old thoughts leaving her, she came to the end of the bridge. Just as she was about to step off, the male lightly grabbed her hand as if to help her keep balance in the transition from stepping on stone to grass. She paused then as her eyes met his under the cover of dark, she was no weak damsel that needed rescuing. Yet she understood that this was a stranger to her and so she let it go. After all it was a courteous thing to do. Pulling her hand from his she moved to pass him without comment, though part of her wanted to rub at the sudden tingles where his touch seemed to linger warmly and unfamiliar on her skin.

He was looking back at her, she felt his eyes watching her, intense and curious. Probably wondering about the two swords she kept ready at her back.


	4. Chapter 4

It was quite obvious that those who did not know who she was, which was mostly everyone, were not at all prepared for a woman to sit in on the secret council meeting. One silencing look from Gandalf and Elrond proved to be enough for most of the men to hold their tongue in voicing their displeasure at her presence.

Most of them had been fairly shocked to learn she was female. Light had walked into the large clearing at Strider's side, neither of them pulled down the cloaks hiding their faces until seated. At first she felt nothing but amusement at the outraged gasps, but when her ears picked up the whispered comments between several men her ire became renewed.

"But who is she?"

Light's eyes roamed over the men with a dangerous glint to her eye even as Strider easily placed a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes promised him that she wouldn't speak out of turn; after all, she was quite used to this response. As it was she had no reason to explain her presence to the other guests, Lord Elrond knew and accepted her and that was what was counted. She glanced just across from her and shared a knowing smile with Frodo, nodding to him to let him know the ignorance of others didn't bother her as he seemed rather upset on her behalf. Her gaze then circled the others once more and was taken back for a moment to see the glowing curiosity in the eyes of that male elf she crossed just the evening prior.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom."

Lord Elrond's voice was strong and serious as he addressed the council. He steered the meeting with both sons on either side of him, all glancing about the many faces present. Frodo sat beside Gandalf, and next to him were the elves from Mirkwood, then the dwarves, and finally the men and more Rivendell elves. Aragorn and Amina took up the last seats opposite of Frodo.

Frodo was then summoned to bring forth the ring, and he slowly placed it atop a stone pedestal placed in the center of the gathering. There were a few murmurs here and there until a man; that same man who carelessly dropped the hilt of Narsil, stood and spoke.

"It is a gift, a gift from the foes of Mordor! Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, held the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."

The man coldly looked at Strider as he asked, "And what would a ranger know of this matter?" It was apparent that the man had been burning to ask this very question, his eyes roaming to the only female there, though he was cut off from speaking further.

That same blonde-haired elf from Mirkwood suddenly stood, "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." His sudden defense of her mentor made her wonder just who this elf was.

"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" the man asked in disbelief.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas continued.

"Sit down, Legolas," Aragorn pleaded in elvish.

Ah, Legolas, the Prince of the Woodland Realm himself, son of King Thranduil. At least now she knew who he was. Strider had spoken of him a few times so Amina was aware the two were on friendly terms, she herself had never formally met him. Though that wasn't surprising, really the only elves she knew were Lord Elrond and his children. Oh and Haldir as well considering he assisted on more than one occasion with her and Aragorn.

Amina was brought out of her musings when one of the dwarves rushed forward to strike the ring with an axe. It shattered, of course, the fool.

Lord Elrond then advised, "The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom, only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." He looked to each group, "One of you must do this."

All was silent for a moment as people thought about what was said. It was the man of Gondor who spoke up once more, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."

Legolas once again stood and stared the man down, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!"

He was a passionate one, she would give the elven prince that much. And she did agree with him, the man was wrong to despair so quickly after learning the truth of the ring. There were more voices but it was one particular shout that caught her attention.

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!"

Amina glanced towards the red-bearded dwarf staring the elf prince down angrily, and after his declaration chaos erupted within the council. Everyone was arguing with each other and the tension was clear between the dwarves and elves. Legolas did manage to do the right thing and hold his people back, but by then it didn't matter. Everyone was up in arms, even the great wizard stood in an effort to bring sense back into the council.

Having had enough of this foolery, Amina reached for one of her blades as she moved to rise from her seat. It was only Aragorn's sudden grab at her forearm that stopped her. Looking at him she could clearly see his firm desire for her to stand down. Very well then, she sat back and crossed her arms below her chest to wait it out. Watching alongside her mentor as the different races fought with one another. Already the evil of the one ring was pitting them all against each other.

Then she heard it, her and Aragorn both probably heard the little hobbit's pledge before the others.

"I will take the ring to Mordor," he stated again, "Now I do not know the way."

Gandalf was the first to move as he turned and stared into Frodo's eyes, moving towards him he said, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Amina managed to keep a perceptive smile from her lips as Aragorn rose from his seat and kneeled before the hobbit, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he promised, "You have my sword."

"I give you my blades, Frodo," she pledged herself to this quest, for where Aragorn went, Amina was quick to follow. She took her spot behind Frodo, just to Aragorn's right.

"And you have my bow," the Prince of Mirkwood announced and stood beside Gandalf.

"And my axe," Gimli added, moving next to the slightly annoyed elf.

Looking at all of them standing behind Frodo, that same man who'd done all the speaking earlier walked towards them, "You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Not long afterwards Sam, and then Merry and Pippin, rushed out to join their friend. Elrond looked somewhere between displeased and amused at the same time as he addressed those standing at Frodo's side.

And so they became the fellowship of the ring. Council broke soon afterwards with everyone going their separate ways. Dinner that evening was rather boisterous with old friends and comrades bidding each other farewell, most would be leaving at dawn the following day.

Sure enough the next day proved to be much quieter, excepting the sounds of steel on steel of course. Aragorn and Gandalf agreed that the hobbits were due for a bit of sword training before they ventured off on their quest. Amina stood to the side and watched as the man, or Boromir as she had finally learned, teamed up with Aragorn in teaching the half-lings. Sam was surprisingly adept and picked up the art rather quickly. Well, he picked up a few of the tricks anyway, all of them had a long ways to go yet.

If anything, so did Amina, as she was thusly reminded. Later in the week she agreed to a light spar with Aragorn who made quick work of her, he moved faster than she'd seen him in a while. It was true, she did travel with him for twenty eight years, and it took all of those years for her to become as good as she had. In fact, she'd been practicing with two shorter blades for merely a decade now, she had to get a good grasp of a single blade before moving on to two, or so he had told her long ago. Her flexibility and speed came hand in hand with using two swords instead of one.

She did fare better against Boromir though, so she was happy about that. He was more skilled than her, naturally. And there was no denying both men had the greater strength. But she was faster and much more flexible, especially compared to Boromir who was quite stiff in his movements. Her style suited her size and level of skill. And the man had been out to prove a point that little females did not belong amongst the greatness of male warriors. It brought her much joy and satisfaction at the surprised look in his gaze as they fought hard against each other. And slowly but surely she had began to earn his trust and respect along with the other members of the fellowship.

And so the group continued to prepare as days turned into weeks. They had all remained in Rivendell for the time being, while Gandalf and the others planned out routes and going over strategies. When it was announced that they would depart in another month, Aragorn set Amina aside and told her that it would be a good idea for her to learn to use the bow. He made arrangements for her to start taking lessons and practice beside Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir. It was awkward but only for the first few minutes as Elladan took it upon himself to teach her the correct stance with a few comments coming from Legolas. The twins had always treated her with kindness and she was comfortable around them. It was just the elven prince that she was awkward being around. She didn't know him at all though he seemed accepting of her presence. They made for good teachers, but she was slow going with taking it up. One wouldn't think it would be hard, simple aim and release, but it was difficult for her. She had managed to hit targets for the most part in her second week, but they were random and scattered. The arrows were not, and would never be, as close together and clustered as those of her elven instructors. Legolas was by far the most experienced and was an expert with his craft. He proved to be somewhat patient with her and encouraged her earnestly when she showed signs of improvement.

But when the time came to spar with either Aragorn or Boromir, she cherished the feeling of the twin blades in her hands once more. With them, she simply felt at home.

During the time of preparation she also managed to spend more time with Arwen and it would be a sad moment when it came time to say goodbye to her. In the last week in Rivendell, it took some time, but Arwen finally broke down and tearfully told her that she'd chosen to sail to Valinor. Amina hugged her in sympathy but she didn't understand what happened. From what she gathered under Arwen's painful mumbles that it was Aragorn who set her free of his vows. Why would he do such a thing? For so long they loved each other, and he'd previously accepted her decision to forsake her immortality to be with him. So what changed?

It took two days for her to finally ask him about it. He grew distant, as she knew he would, and in the end he told her that she would understand the day she fell in love herself. Then he gave her a weak smile and left to seek Gandalf for one matter or another.

Finally the week closed out and the fellowship stood before Lord Elrond, his children, and a few other elves at the gates, ready to depart and start their journey to Mordor. Great inspiration hit all of them as the sense of protection flooded them each. This was a beautiful land; the terrain they would cross would no doubt withhold the same beauty. The good in this world was worth journeying to the very fires of Mount Doom if it meant to keep it preserved.

And so the quest began. The quest to save the world.

*A/N*

Blu- Just want to thank everyone for the reviews and favorites! Also some have commented on Amina going by "Light" in the wild, just know that yes there is a reason for this and will eventually be explained ;) Thank you and I hope you enjoy, another update will be coming soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Days they traveled, crossing great distances each day, getting ever closer to their goal. It was in these first few days and weeks in their journey where routines were set and bonds established.

For instance; the hobbits were the ones to cook all the meals and maintain most of the food supplies. The men set about more training for the half-lings each day after the morning meal. It was a way to re-freshen legs and to keeps the minds of all sharp and on task. Watches were set up on the first night and the order hadn't changed since then. Aragorn always took the first watch, then Boromir, Amina, and finally Legolas.

After the first week Legolas came to learn a certain habit of the lone female in the group. A warrior she may be, but she was still a lady who liked to watch the sun rise. For her it was something to look forward to each day. At first she simply told him that she couldn't get back to sleep so she'd stay up with him to help keep watch. But then he'd find her just sitting in a patch of grass, or perched on a rock, or just standing there staring up at the sky. It was apparent to him that it was more of a time for reflection than just not being able to go back to sleep.

Of all of them in the fellowship, she had proved to be the quietest. Only speaking when required and accepting orders without question. Legolas became aware of Boromir's hesitation with a woman in their group despite knowing she was clearly an experienced warrior. Before they left Rivendell; all of the fellowship met in one of Lord Elrond's private chambers to go over the routes that would be taken. Most of them had left and he was there when Boromir inquired more into Aragorn's 'apprentice'. Though he himself would never doubt the ferocity of female warriors; seeing as he knew quite a few of them in Mirkwood, he was curious about her. He'd known Aragorn for many years, since the man was but a lad, yet he'd never heard of this Amina; or the name of Light that she traveled by.

His old friend did not go into the details surrounding her. He simply told them that she had been traveling with him for several years and would be a considerable asset to their cause. While he became known as the ranger Strider, she was referred to as Light in the northern parts of the world. Legolas had never heard of either name before. Boromir had made his feelings of her presence quite obvious, he was against it. It wasn't that he doubted her skill, he'd sparred with her himself and knew the girl had talent. It was simply that he was raised in the beliefs that all women and children should be protected. The idea of a female warrior was against everything he'd ever known and been taught. Aragorn had brought the conversation to an abrupt end, making his stance clear where it concerned the girl.

And Aragorn had been correct. She was mostly silent while being able and willing to perform mundane tasks; such as gathering wood or refilling skins of water. She kept mostly to herself, so it was in the mornings only where the two of them would exchange words, and even then they were far and few between. These were thoughts the elf kept to himself as he fell into sleep waiting for his turn in the rotation.

For two hours she kept watch while the others slumbered, seeing as the darkness of night was slowly yet surely being chased away by a sun set to soon rise. Making her way over to Legolas, she stared over him, still thinking it odd how both he and Gandalf slept with their eyes open. It was…disturbing to say the least. Watching him sleep she pondered over if she should really wake him or not, she had every intention of watching the sun rise. With a soft sigh she walked away from him, it seemed foolish to wake him when she would already be up herself.

The soft breath of air she released; however, was enough to cause the elf to wake on his own. He blinked a few times and caught the sight of a retreating cloaked form. Taking a look around he saw the dark grayness of the morning and automatically knew it was his turn to watch over the camp. Quickly rising to his feet he silently followed her and sent her a brief nod as he took a seat next to her overlooking the valley below. There was just enough light to start making out the lines of hills and shapes of boulders ahead of them.

"I saw you," he told her, "why didn't you wake me?"

In the dark he watched as she glanced at him from the side and said with a small shrug, "I don't see the point since I will be up anyway, there is no reason for you to lose sleep."

He eyed her for a moment longer before watching the ever lightening gray of morning seep in around them, "Please wake me, I will not shirk my duties-"

"No one will ever claim that you take your duties lightly, my prince," the corners of her lips tilted upwards in her teasing of him.

Letting out a breath he brought up a knee and rest an arm on it, "Still though, I will take my watch as you take in the rising sun. I do not mind."

One small nod in acceptance and she agreed, "As you wish."

More silence. Though he did not mind sitting in the quiet. The days were filled with constant chatter from the hobbits and occasional laughter from the wizard and men. So he sat there beside her a few more moments before standing and walking around the perimeter of the camp. He then moved ahead of her and where the others lay still sleeping to get a better look of the land they would travel through in a few hours time. Finally the sun crested over the hill, its light chasing throughout the valley. Higher and higher it rose, illuminating the lands and skies with its awakening glow.

Turning back Legolas glanced towards the girl and paused, finally understanding why she went by the name of Light. The sun's glow had alighted her face quite beautifully, his sharp elvish gaze taking in the very brightness and life of her blue-grey eyes. He hadn't really looked at her like this before; he knew what she looked like, of course, but hadn't taken the time to study the art of her brow and curved lines of her mouth. Always before when he gazed upon her it was with curious thoughts to know more about her and how she came to be an apprentice under Aragorn. But now here she was sitting with a calm, natural beauty about her. It surprised him that he hadn't noticed before now just how lovely she was. As an elf he found beauty in most things.

So he made his way back towards her, watching her face as a wisp of wind caught her free hair, blowing it gently over one ear. A pointed ear. Now he was shocked!

"You're an elf!?"

Her eyes widened and she quickly fixed her hair, then she sighed deeply and drew both knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Half-elf."

This was incredible! How had he not noticed before now? It seemed obvious to him now that it was right in front of him! Her lightness of feet, her sensitive ears and increased eye sight much like his own. They were all classic signs of elvish blood. He came to stand before her, blocking her view of the very reason she was still awake, "I should have noticed sooner," he grinned and returned to his spot beside her, "Of what realm do you hail, my lady?"

Amina pulled her knees tighter against herself as though to ward off his sure to be many questions, "The realm of Gondor, Prince Legolas."

He frowned slightly at her answer, "But you are elf-kind, ah, by your looks I would venture to guess you are a maiden of Rivendell."

"I am not," her voice came out a bit sharply.

"Then," he hesitated slightly seeing that she was growing upset, "do you not-"

"No," she turned and finally met his gaze, her eyes dancing wildly as she was seeing more of her past than the elf sitting beside her, "I was raised by my single human mother, I do not know my sire."

Clearly she was done with this conversation as she stared at him, with the sun making her eyes glow. He could see the pain in her gaze as brightly as the sun shone down upon the fellowship. Softly, he apologized "Forgive me Amina, I meant no harm."

Releasing a breathy sigh to let the tension go she finally responded, "There is nothing but pain and betrayal hidden within the answers even I do not know."

Slowly he watched as she grew more distant than ever beside him, though in his mind questions whirled. It was true that he knew her to be Aragorn's apprentice, but did not know the background of how that came to be. Her past was obviously a painful one and he should have held his tongue. A few minutes later Amina rose from her spot and muttered something about re-kindling the fire for breakfast. So Legolas took a bit more time to himself to wonder on how difficult her past might have actually been. Finally a conversation occurs between them and it ends with her pain. Now was not the time for his questions and it wasn't long that he was once again up and moving around the camp and perimeter, his thoughts ever on the safety of the fellowship.

Frodo was the first to wake; it seemed the poor ring bearer was losing more sleep each night. Quietly he packed his bedroll and sat opposite of Amina at the fire, taking in the heat it offered. After a while the two started to talk in low whispers and an occasional laugh or giggle was heard. It wasn't much longer until the rest of the fellowship was awakened by Legolas.

Sam and Merry went about cooking breakfast; it was the last of the sausage links. Once everyone had their fill, Boromir stretched his muscles by drawing Merry and Pippin into light sword play, with Aragorn watching and adding in some tips from the side. Everyone seemed to be occupied with one thing or another, Amina just sat there, as did Frodo, both lost to their own thoughts. For Frodo it was thoughts of the future and for Amina they were memories of the past.

"What is that?" came the voice of Sam, bringing attention to a dark cloud off to the south. Legolas was already perched trying to identify the odd puff of cloud against a bright sky.

Gimli took a look himself and shrugged it off, "Nothing, it's just a wisp of a cloud."

Boromir's worry doubled Sam's and a few other's as well, "It's moving fast, and against the wind."

Amina mused in her observation, "They are birds of some sort."

With a sudden shout in warning Legolas called out, "Crebain from Dunland!"

"Hide!" Aragorn ordered.

Sam quickly extinguished the fire and hid, just as the others all scrambled to find their own spot to keep out of their view. Just as everyone was in place, large black crows encircled their camp, until a single foul croak was heard. And just like that they flew back into the direction from whence they came.

With the fellowship filled with concern, they staggered from their spots and eyed each other for a brief moment in worried silence.

It was Gandalf who finally spoke the truth, "Spies of Saruman, the passage south is being watched," turning to look at the others carefully, "we must take the pass of Caradhras!"

The snowy mountains lie just to the side of them, it would be a cold, numbing climb. So with cautioned hearts they moved on from the preferred journey south and made their way towards the slopes of the Misty Mountains in order to take the pass of Caradhras. The mountains loomed before them as the air grew thinner and cooler the further along they trekked.

As they continued to move onwards the softness of the ground beneath their feet turned hard and cool. Just as they reached the very slope of the mountain leading to the pass, night began to fall. Aragorn and Legolas collected loose timber branches, just enough to make for a small fire. Boromir also found some and made the quick decision to carry some in a pack for future use as they would be sparse in the rocky terrain. Amina fell into a quick slumber missing the hobbits cooked meal for dinner.

It seemed she had just fallen asleep when Boromir gently woke her. She realized Aragorn had given her his cloak sometime during the night to help keep her warm, she smiled at his thoughtfulness and returned it to him. Boromir had a hard time falling back asleep himself and so he stayed up with her for a small while. They talked quietly, it seemed he was troubled by something, she noted his eyes ever glancing towards Frodo. He was a proud man and she would not forget the conversation they just shared. He was the first to express his desire for her to stay behind. It wasn't that he doubted her abilities, she had been a ranger after all. It was simply that he felt strongly about the protection of women and children. For that, she couldn't fault him, even if she disagreed. Besides, she had Aragorn's approval, and honestly that was all she needed.

Eventually though the man found some sleep, leaving her to her quiet thoughts as she roamed back and forth the slope of the mountain side. Her eyes were ever looking for signs of an enemy.

This early morning of light slowly creeping into the night went by slowly. When the time came to wake the elf she did so quietly so as not to disturb the others. Legolas was easy to wake and set about his watch immediately. He returned swiftly and observed Amina searching her pack for a piece of bread, it was then he informed her that Aragorn had made sure to save her some of the bacon from dinner. She readily and hungrily ate the meat, washing it down with a bit of water from her skin. Then she perched herself upon a rock and sat alone in silence. Legolas could see that her mind was otherwise occupied and left her to her thoughts.

Later in the day, as they continued up the now snow-covered ground of the mountain-side, Frodo took a bit of a tumble. He rolled a few times in the snow, only stopped thanks to Aragorn who traveled behind him. Amina was just in front of Boromir and watched in curiosity as the man carefully picked up the silver chain that carried the one ring from the thick snow. Boromir stared at it as it continued to dangle before them all.

"Boromir?" she called out to him and walked to his side.

He continued to stare it intensely, "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing," his voice mingling with the sudden spiked wind, "such a little thing."

"Boromir, give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn ordered.

It was as though he hadn't heard him at all. He just continued staring at the ring. When a sudden smile lit his face, Amina put a hand to his bicep drawing his gaze. Once his thoughts were broken he lightly walked down to Frodo and Aragorn, "As you wish, I care not."

And in an effort to lighten the sudden tension he ruffled the hobbit's hair, turned, and made his way back up the side of the mountain to join the others.

Amina and Aragorn shared a look between each other, both then noting the cautiousness in Frodo's eyes. They nodded in understanding and soon caught up to the others in the great climb. A close eye would need to be kept where it concerned Boromir. The seduction of the one ring was already working against them.


	6. Chapter 6

The higher they climbed the deeper the snow. Heavy flakes of snow began to fall as the clouds grew darker and darker now that they were in the pass of Caradhras. Just behind Gandalf, Amina was helping the wizard make a path for the others in the snow, all the while the elf walked lightly upon the snow's surface. Gimli was just behind her, doing his part on the other side of Gandalf to help as well. He had been muttering something rather crude about the elves and walking on snow, wondering if they could very well walk on water too. The comments coming from the dwarf caused Amina to smile briefly through the hard work; his rambling was constant and amusing.

At one point Legolas dropped beside her and quietly asked if she knew how to balance herself over the snow. When she told him no he offered to show her how, yet she denied him insisting she would just slow him down and they needed him to scout ahead. He sent her a curious glance but eventually accepted her reasons.

More time passed and just as the fiercer the wind blew so did the depth of the snow grow. Not long into the day and it turned into a blizzard of all things. They were making very slow progress through the pass.

Legolas continued ahead of them until he paused and urgently said, "There is a fell voice in the air."

Everyone behind him stopped as well and listened. The elf was right, Amina decreed as she too now heard the foul mutterings in the blinding winds. Saruman! A rumble was heard high above their heads as large boulders and rocks raced towards them. If it were not for Gimli pulling her back to the wall of the mountain, she would have been crushed.

Aragorn shouted over the gusts of wind, "He's trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" the wizard yelled back. He then put himself forward to the very edge of the pass, raised his hand and wand and cast his voice into the air, all in an attempt to counteract the evil magic of Saruman.

With a crack of lightning from above, great heavy snow of an avalanche fell over them. Lack of oxygen burned the lungs of the fellowship. Amina dug and dug her way to the top. Gasping for breath she reached a hand down and helped tug Gimli to the out as we'll. Looking over she saw all the others finally getting out themselves, all of them breathing hard. That was close, way too close! They all could have either tumbled over the edge or suffocated to death in the thick heavy snow, the survival of them all was at risk.

"We must get off this mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir cried out over the ever growing wings.

"The gap of Rohan takes us to close to Isengard!" Aragorn countered back as he shielded Sam and Frodo from the elements as best he could.

"Gandalf, we cannot stay this course!" Amina yelled out to him.

The firm voice of Gimli finally called out in reminder, "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria."

The wizard was silent for a moment, thinking about possibilities and dangers ahead in whatever path they took. After a while of being lost in thought and concern, he finally said, "Let the ring bearer decide."

Frodo took a moment to look over everyone, seeing his shivering friends and icy companions, the choice soon became easy, "We will go through the mines."

And so the fellowship slowly, coldly, made their way back through the pass of Caradhras. The blizzard finally started to dim in its strength the further they declined the mountain. Once they started on their way back down the very slopes they made better time than going up.

Another day and they all finally met the green of earth once again, away from the hard frozen rock they'd just traveled. On and on they moved, and just as night fell they reached the walls of Moria. Just beyond the doors lie a murky lake seemingly filled with shadows. Merry and Pippin occasionally threw loose pebbles into the dark water, passing the time as Gandalf tried to think of the password.

"Gimli," Amina suddenly asked, "Have you been here before? Do you not know the password?"

"Aye lass," he shuffled about, his weight straining on his axe, "It's been many a year since the dwarves lived in this great mine. And over that time the knowledge was lost. My cousin Balin set about the quest to bring the great halls back to life long ago."

She nodded in understanding and sent him a small smile.

"It's a riddle," Frodo suddenly spoke up, "Speak friend and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

Gandalf stared at the half-ling in thought and slowly worded out, "Mellon."

With that spoken the rock face rumbled and divided down the middle and the two great doors opened before them. Gimli was positively giddy in excitement. As the dwarf went on and on about the great hospitality of his cousin, the others slowly took in the evidence of a battle fought long ago. Skeletons of dwarves littered the entryway, their rusted shields littered with arrows and axes alike.

"This is no mine," Boromir shakily stated, "it's a tomb."

Poor Gimli gasped in horror and Amina placed a hand on his shoulder as Legolas pulled an arrow from one of the skeletons, "Goblins!"

Everyone then drew their swords and Legolas readied his bow, Boromir then said, "We make for the gap of Rohan, we should never have come here."

In a sudden shout from the hobbits the rest of the fellowship turned and found to their horror that Frodo's foot was wrapped in a sort of black, slick tentacle reaching out from the very water of the lake! Sam managed to cut his friend free only for more slimy tendrils to shoot out towards them.

They all raced towards them as more tentacles shot out at them. Legolas shot his arrows as Boromir, Aragorn, and Amina quickly flew into the water's edge and started chopping the tentacles down as quickly as possible.

Frodo was high in the air, dangling precariously as a great large head with vicious and sharp teeth broke the very surface of the lake.

It was Aragorn who finally cut down the one holding Frodo. The small hobbit fell from high in the sky into Boromir's waiting arms.

"Into the mines!" Gandalf yelled at them.

"Come Amina," Aragorn grabbed her hand and together they rushed forward into the darkness of Moria's entrance. Legolas was last to come in as he crashed into her back and they almost fell. With quick arms he steadied them both just as the great creature rose out of the lake and crawled towards them, he pulled her back further into the darkness. Causing the great rocks of the doorway to tumble down and forever blocking the way back out again while killing the foul beast in one go.

Darkness, a darkness unlike any of them had ever known overwhelmed them. All was silent except for gasping breaths. She felt Legolas's arms still on her shoulders and Aragorn still holding tightly onto her hand. In this darkness it was probably best to keep hold of one another. Then there was a faint light from Gandalf's staff, casting an eerie glow throughout the chamber. At once they released one another; it seemed all members of the fellowship had been clinging to one person or another. Still she nodded to the elf in thanks.

"We now have but one choice," the wizard told them solemnly, "we must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things than the orcs in the deep places of the world." When they passed a precarious bridge he told them, "Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed."

The fellowship trudged along. Trying to be as quiet as possible which seemed to be a difficult thing for Pippin. The half-ling was full of questions. They had probably traveled longer than they might have should they had been out in the wild. In the deep chasm of the dark mines there was no telling what the hour was. When they grew weary they slept and when they were hungry they ate. On and on they moved through the deep mines. Continuing among steep, narrow stairs, with old skeletons and dried blood at every turn, the atmosphere was most sinister.

Eventually they crossed an area where three paths disappeared into dark tunnels. Gandalf could not remember such a place before and once again the fellowship sat down to think. While Merry and Pippin talked back and forth, Frodo sat beside Gandalf and the two held a quiet conversation.

Upon spotting an odd creature, Amina turned her eyes to her companions. Aragorn was busy searching in his pack and Boromir was resting his eyes. Legolas had caught her gaze though and came to stand next to her.

"Just there," she nodded in a certain direction with a whispered voice.

The elf took a moment to peer at the creature and then let out a deep, troubled sigh, "That is no orc or goblin; that is Gollum."

She nodded in agreement just as she turned to ask, her voice soft in her curiosity, "How did he manage to escape your father's watch?"

Then it was his turn to widen his eyes, "You knew of Gollum's captivity in Mirkwood?"

One side of Amina's mouth lifted into a half-sided smirk, "Have you forgotten already, my prince? I am Light, the silhouette of Strider himself."

He then sent her a small smile and chuckled quietly once in amusement, "Pardon me. Then you must have been with him as he delivered the creature to my father."

With a nod she acknowledged his statement as the truth. A moment of silence lingered as they both watched Gollum climb just a little bit closer towards the group, yet still a far distance away. "Should we kill him? Use your arrow and keen sight to strike him down? He follows us because he knows Frodo has the ring, it was him that led the ringwraiths to the Shire."

Legolas thought over her words and finally said, "We will consult Gandalf and Aragorn on the matter-"

"Ah, it's that way!" the wizard's voice interrupted.

Amina brought her gaze back to the elf's, "I agree, we will need to address his presence soon though."

He seemed to agree with her as he nodded once. Chatter then picked up around them as everyone got back on their feet. And onward they marched in the deep dark.

Passing under a grand arched doorway they came into an echoing black empty space. Gandalf made his staff shine just a little bit brighter and each member of the fellowship fell into an awed silence. The great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf was indeed quite a vast sight to behold.

Gandalf continued to lead them through the majestic halls, that is until a harried gasp of shock came from Gimli's lips. He shouted out in denial and ran ahead of them towards a wooden door peppered with the black arrows of goblins and orcs. A single beam of what must have been daylight shone into the open room as they followed behind the dwarf.

"No, no, oh no," Gimli cried miserable as he knelt before a great stone tomb. With her heart in her throat, Amina came to one knee beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder to try and comfort the usually sturdy dwarf.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fudin. Lord of Moria," Gandalf's grave voice read the inscription in the tomb, "He is dead then, it's just as I had feared."

The wizard then picked up an old book from the corpse of a dwarf resting beside the tomb and started to read aloud.

Legolas whispered to Aragorn, Amina barely catching his words, "We must move on, we cannot linger."

"Will no one save us?" Gandalf finished the passage and raised his gaze, stating seriously, "They are coming."

From the corner of her eye she could see Pippin walking backwards until he bumped into a well behind him. He turned and in his curiosity touched the head of an arrow sticking out from a dwarf's skeleton, precariously situated atop the lip of the well. The head of the skeleton then fell back and started to fall into the well, bumping the sides during its fall. He tried to stop the chain and bucket but it was of no saving grace. The noise must have alerted all of Moria to their presence here.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf angrily snarled at the hobbit and slammed the book shut, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

Even Amina flinched back at the hurtful comment as she stood by Pippin's side. And then they heard it.

Boom.

BOOM.

BOOM BOOM.


	7. Chapter 7

Peering out of the splintered doorway, Boromir threw his head back just in time before two guided arrows would have collided with his head. He slammed the door shut and muttered to them, "They have a cave troll."

"Get back, go behind Gandalf! Quickly now!" Amina told the hobbits and jumped in to help toss long axes to Boromir and Aragorn so they could bar the door closed for as long as possible. The first battle the fellowship would face together other than merely companionable sparring was about to commence.

Gimli jumped atop his cousin's final resting place and projected out, "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Everyone stood back from the door, watching as it shook and rattled from the force of the orcs hacking it down to get in. Amina drew her two blades as the others drew their weapons as well. Aragorn stood just in front of her. Legolas fired an arrow killing one the enemy through a small hole in the door, Aragorn sending his own killing shot into the throat of one through a different hole. They were breaking through!

With a great boom, the door was forcefully swung open! Orcs raced into the chamber, Legolas hitting true with every arrow he unleashed. Aragorn, Boromir, and Amina swiftly and accurately got into the pulse of battle, slaying the enemy with every swing of sharp steel. All of their focus was solely on cutting as many down as possible to protect the hobbits.

The doors then crashed down as a giant troll was led in to the chamber with a chain around its neck, swinging his club at Aragorn. Legolas shot at him and the troll seemed to get even angrier in his attack on them, even killing Orcs for them as he went along in his tirade.

Frodo started yelling out for Aragorn, and Sam screamed in horror as Frodo was suddenly speared by the troll in the chest. The fellowship was shocked to have failed so early in their journey! With a renewed vigor they attacked the troll! Hobbits jumped on its back. Aragorn and Boromir were tossed to the side brutally. Amina's twin blades stabbed into its side just as Merry was thrown off. Luckily Pippin remained and managed to strike its head, giving access for Legolas' arrow to pierce his throat. Gasping for breath the troll stumbled to the ground and did not rise again.

Catching breaths after the heat of battle, everyone's attention was on Frodo's still form lying face down on the ground. They were all horrified, but then he started to cough and took a huge breath.

"He's alive!" Sam cheered.

"You should be dead, that spear would've skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn looked on in shock.

"Thank goodness," Amina wiped at her brow covered with a bit of black blood from a now deceased orc and sent a smile the hobbit's way, "you gave us quite a scare."

Turned out the half-ling had an undershirt made of the sturdy mithril. Full of surprises that Frodo was. Boom, boom, boom, came the sound of distant drums, more were coming. Gandalf led the way out of the chamber and back into the great walls of Dwarrowdelf. Glimpses could be seen as they ran of horrid orcs crawling quickly down the pillars, surrounding them with their overwhelming numbers. Each member had their weapons drawn, but there was no way they would all get through this sheer amount of enemies. They were impossibly surrounded.

Then a sickeningly low growl filled the air, causing all to fall silent. It sounded again just as a fiery light danced ever closer to the gathering. In fear the orcs retreated from them, melting away back into the darkness from whence they came.

The air grew warm, unnaturally so as more hallow roars filled the air. Beams of fiery light filled the halls, whispers of a black shadow crept down each of their spines.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir managed to ask just before the ground began to shake in bizarre rumbles.

"A balrog," Gandalf quietly spoke, as if accepting a fate that would soon befall them, "a demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run! Quickly!"

Through ghostly lit halls and dizzying staircases they raced for the bridge that would lead them outside. They ran as though they could possibly escape the fiery shadow that chased them down.

Then they came to a decent sized gap in the rock stairs. Legolas deftly made the jump, with Gandalf going next after a hesitant pause. Arrows began to fly towards them and almost hit some of them in the feet. Boromir grabbed Pippin and Merry and made the jump with them.

Part of the roof collapsed above them due to the constant quaking of the ground. A piece of rock fell and widened the gap of the two parts of the stairs considerably. Gimli managed to leap himself far enough to make it across, his saving grace being Legolas's grip on his long hearty beard. Fire erupted behind the remaining members of the fellowship Amina, Aragorn and Frodo.

Part of the stair began to tremble beneath their feet as Aragorn pushed Frodo further up he yelled out, "Jump Amina, hurry!"

The rock gave way just as she jumped for the others as far as she possibly could. Only the upper half of her body managed to make it to the other side as her legs swung perilously over the edge. Legolas quickly grabbed her under the shoulders and helped to pull her up, she stared breathlessly into his vivid blue eyes before being pushed behind him. That had been too close and her hips were already sore from the harsh contact on the stone stairs.

And more towers of rock slid from the earth, making a jump now almost impossible. Aragorn and Frodo were still on the upper part of the stairs. Amina gasped as she looked up to her mentor, not like this, no. Another crash from above and their section of rock started to crackle and sway dangerously. "Aragorn!" she screamed out, connecting her gaze with his own. Then she looked to the small hobbit, the one with the ring, no, he could not be lost.

Aragorn commanded Frodo to lean forward, to take control of their destiny. And surely enough the collapsing staircase came forward to them, arrows from Orcs continued to fly in their direction. The isolated freefalling stairs crashed into where the others were, thrusting forth Frodo and Aragorn. The impact of Aragorn going into the arms of Legolas and Frodo to Boromir pushed Amina hazardously off to the side of the stone stairs. Gimli caught her hand in the last possible moment and pulled her forward with all his strength, keeping her from plummeting to death in the bottomless pit of nothing. That was twice now in this journey that he'd saved her from falling to her death.

With hurried thanks they chased after the others as they made for the bridge. Gandalf paused and rushed the others forward. The balrog finally came to life behind him as he started to run after the rest of the fellowship. An angry sword of fire and a whip that seemed made of lava was held dangerously within the evil creatures grasp. With a great howl of a burning inferno the balrog started in earnest chase of the travelers.

One by one they made it across the narrow bridge that would finally lead them out of Moria. Trying to go over it quickly but at the same time minding their steps, there would be no return if one of them fell.

Gandalf though, he surprised them all when he stopped in the center, turned and faced the fiery demon on his own. "You cannot pass!"

Everyone was alarmed, wondering what he was doing. He continued on, "Go back to the shadow! You shall not pass!" then he slammed down his staff and sword onto the bridge. It then started to crumble as the beast tempted to cross to destroy him.

He'd won, Gandalf defeated the balrog! The demon fell into the very shadow from whence it came! The fellowship, along with Gandalf, allowed themselves a small breath of air in relief. And then it happened. In a last ditch effort, the fiery whip flew up around the wizard's ankle, pulling him down over the edge where there was no way he could get a grip.

"Noooo!" Frodo cried in horror as he tried to run to him.

And he fell. The guide and possibly the heart of the fellowship had fallen towards certain death after saving them all one final time. He let go even before anyone had a chance to go after him.

The arrows once again started to come at them. Boromir bumped into her on his rush to get him and the hobbits out of there and one of the arrows grazed her in the side. Biting her lip through the new stinging pain she grunted and held the wound. She was more worried for Aragorn as he seemed too much in shock to make the escape. "Aragorn, let's go!" She grabbed his hand and forced him to move with her, dodging more arrows as they went along.

They were then blinded by the sudden sunlight to their sensitive eyes, to long had they been accustomed to the dark. Like the hobbits she fell to her knees holding her side, she pulled her hand away and found the liquid crimson blood. The wound wasn't that deep, but it would still require a binding.

Aragorn was pushing for them to get up, to get the hobbits up. They needed to get out of this area as soon as possible. "By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" his gaze then fell on Amina as she clutched her hip and he saw blood dripping from her hands, rushing to her he fell beside her on his own knees and moved her hand, "Let me see."

"It's only a flesh wound," she gritted through her teeth, "but I'll need to wrap it."

The others gathered around as he jerked up her navy blue undershirt and black leather vest, all the while pulling down her black legging enough to see the wound. She felt dirty and exposed in front of the other's eyes, silently thanking the elf for turning his back to her. At least he had some dignity while both Boromir and Gimli had their eyes glued to her exposed flesh. She could see the concern in the eyes of the dwarf but Boromir's face was remarkably blank and it was making her very uncomfortable. Aragorn she was used to, they'd both seen too much of each other's bodies during their many years of travel. No one else was around to help treat nasty wounds gained from battle so they learned early on to rely on one another.

"My dear," he looked into her eyes and spoke with a soft voice, "that is rather deep and wide for a flesh wound, let's get it wrapped. We are lucky the tip of the arrow wasn't poisoned." Then he tore off a piece of his cloak and wrapped her waist with it, tucking the ends into the band of her leggings. He then helped her stand and made sure she could walk, seeing she would be alright, he spoke to the others, "We must reach the woods of Lothlorien."

The sliced flesh of the open wound at her hip didn't hurt all that much yet it became a nagging nuisance as they took turns between walking and running towards Lothlorien. The tight binding was helping though and for that she was grateful. She'd had much worse wounds than this one. There were some particularly deep ones she received in the early days of training under Strider, by his hand no less. Accidental of course, but that is why it is called training…mistakes are ought to happen.

Like the others, Amina was growing weary as they finally made their way into the woods. To say she was a little upset to feel nothing like a burden to her fellows was an understatement. She was suppose to help protect not get hurt so they had to watch her. She didn't even have the energy to defend herself when elves suddenly surrounded them with arrows pointed at their heads.

"Haldir of Lorien," Aragorn called out, "we come here for your help. We need your protection."

Gimli didn't quite like that idea, "Aragorn, these woods are perilous. We should go back."

Haldir stared the dwarf down, "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back."

Amina slightly shifted her stance to more favor her right side, taking the pressure off her wound on the left.

This caught the march warden's attention. With a few strides he stood and studied her pain-ridden eyes, "You are injured, Light?" She nodded, and his eyes turned more concerned, grasping her elbow for support he told the others, "Come, she is waiting."


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a while since she'd been in the company of Haldir. There were a few quests he'd joined them in years before, he more so went with them for the sole sake of gathering information. He had a bit of an ego but was kind once you get past the rough exterior. Still though, given her past, she wasn't as comfortable as he seemed to think she was in his presence. His duty and position he held made him a proud man, also honorable and fiercely loyal. Haldir was a warrior at heart and he had proven himself time and time again. She was appreciative of him though she absolutely loathed coming off as weak in the eyes of her fellow travelers.

Aragorn remained by Amina's side to make sure she was okay. He knew she would be as she'd survived worse. It seemed all the members of the fellowship were worn down and still grieving over losing Gandalf in the mines and from worrying about their female companion. Haldir led them through the woods, the air continuing to grow more clear and still the deeper they went in. Miles they continued on, only pausing as they reached a hill top. It was here that the raw beauty of Lothlorien was finally displayed to them in the twilight. Seeing as she'd never been here before, she was just as taken back by the wonder as the others. Probably only Aragorn and perhaps Legolas had seen these woods before. There was a small yet pleased smile on their guide's face at seeing the awe of the others. A smile of pride for his people and the land they protect.

The deeper they traveled into the city the larger and taller the trees became, with homes built in around them off the ground, it was truly breathtaking in the gleaming light of the late afternoon sun. And the might of the Anduin river was peaceful and powerful all at the same time. Doubtless anyone would ever be able to describe the true ethereal beauty of this place.

However even the beauty of Lothlorien couldn't keep the travelers from being weary. They were all tired, dirty, hungry, and grieving. Amina would do just about anything for a nice bath at this point especially to get her wound clean to stave off infection.

The group was taken into a chamber in colors of gold, silver, and green. There two elves stood, both holding a timeless beauty of their own. From what she knew of the elves, thanks to Strider's guiding, these had to be Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.

It was the male who spoke first, "Nine there are yet ten were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him."

All of them were again reminded of their recent loss. Flashes of the wizard crept into their minds of him defeating the balrog only to fall after the beast in to the deep pit of Moria.

Softly the she-elf spoke up in sadness, "He has fallen into shadow." She then eyed each remaining member of the fellowship, as though peering into all of their very souls, "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all."

Galadriel stared hard at Boromir for a long while, then her gaze suddenly turned to Sam and her eyes lightened, "Yet hope remains while the company is true."

Amina then felt the weight of her stare as she peered into her heart and mind, as though speaking to her directly but talking to them all, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace."

Frodo seemed startled by something but seeing as he was okay Amina started to follow the others. Just as she turned Galadriel's voice in her head stopped her, "_Come Amina, let us take care of your wound."_

Catching the Lady's gaze once again she found her smiling in welcome and slowly extended her hand towards her. With a few deep breaths Amina took the offered hand and quietly followed her through the woods. They went down several paths until coming across a natural spring. The beautiful she-elf turned to give her privacy as she removed her clothing and entered the perfectly tempered waters, her body disappearing under the surface of the heated pool. Instantly she relaxed, her eyes closing and the wound on her hip no longer stung.

"How does it feel? These waters are enriched with the healing properties of our kin." The Lady asked her softly.

With a content sigh Amina opened her gaze and sought Galadriel's, "The pain is gone, my lady, thank you for bringing me here."

Galadriel eyed her carefully, "Your time is coming dear one, yet I fear your heart will soon be at war in its desires."

Tilting her head, she took her time in responding, slowly and softly, almost wistfully, "I have already chosen mortality. There is nothing to sway that decision." In all honesty, Amina wasn't surprised the Lady knew of her being a half-elf. She was in close contact with Lord Elrond recently regarding the very same issue, that and she was grandmother to Arwen. The Lady was bound to know of her secrets. Not to mention Galadriel was one of the wisest among the elves.

"Perhaps that is true for now," she smiled back at the girl openly, "enjoy your bath, my dear. I will have a gown waiting for you as we have your clothes washed and dried. Take your time and allow these healing waters to cleanse your body and spirit."

And she did, she must have been in the spring for hours it seemed. Yet despite how long she spent under water, her skin didn't wrinkle; only seemed to feel more smooth and silken. As Galadriel had promised, a gown of white and silver was folded on a rock table, along with some cloths and a brush to run through her hair. Deciding to let the calm air around her dry her body, first she used some of the cloth to tightly re-wrap her hip, then set about brushing any knots and tangles from her hair. Stroke after stroke of the gentle brush through her hair eventually brought it dry. In this silent private moment she felt more rejuvenated than ever.

Then she eyed the gown, she couldn't remember the last time she actually wore a dress. Probably in her youth while her mother was still alive. It wasn't as though she was against wearing them, they held their purpose. It was a simple matter that leggings allowed her to move freely while traveling the lands, and wearing a dress in battle would get her killed before she could even unsheathe a blade.

Looking around, she found a pair of silver slippers; it would seem they had taken her black leather boots for cleaning as well. Pulling the shoes on, she found it was a perfect fit. As was the gown once she got it over her head. Amina had a bit of trouble in getting the back tied but eventually managed. For the first time in a long while she felt…womanly, and hoped she could somehow manage without staining the lovely dress with her blood. Intricate silver and iridescent lace created patterns of small leaves throughout the airy gown. Sheer tendrils fell down from her arms and gathered in a swooping motion at her back. Never had she worn or even seen a gown so fine.

It was strange to her to have a billowing, airy gown such as this on her body; it was quite unfamiliar to wear something of such beauty. She started to make her way back to where she'd first met Lady Galadiel, pieces of the gown catching in the slight wind as she walked, starting to feel uncomfortable in such a garment, as though she was unworthy.

Haldir was there waiting for her in the chamber, he looked her over and with a small smirk gave her a slight bow. He then took her arm and led her to where the others were set up for the duration of their time spent here.

Aragorn and the others were shown to a large open area, one of many in these lands, where they would have a bit of privacy yet remain close by to each other. When they got there and Aragorn realized Amina was not with them he began to grow into a panic and turned back to look for her. It was the voice of Lady Galadriel that stopped him, in his mind she told him she was with her and tending to her wound. He silently thanked her and offered an explanation to the others when they asked about her.

Boromir seemed ill at ease in this place but he was the only one that felt so. Everyone else it seemed, even Gimli, felt a sense of comfort. Legolas was right at home considering he was now among his kin, yet the elf never once treated any of them differently. Gimli began to speak about the beauty of Galadriel and of how he'd never seen such a beautiful maiden in all his days. As the dwarf was going on and on in his poetic expressions of the lady's beauty; Haldir rounded a corner with a very lovely Amina on his arm.

It was Legolas who saw her first with his ever keen elven eyes, his mind lost in Gimli's words of beauty and grace and innocence as his gaze took in the form of the exquisite maiden on the arm of his old friend. This she-elf of beauty walking towards them seemed to be enshrouded in the glow of the pale moon. But then he caught her eyes and felt his own breath still in his lungs as he realized this was the same half-elf he had come to enjoy the dawn with. For a moment all he could do was stare and watch as she awkwardly flitted with the gown and almost shyly peered back at him.

Boromir had been the second to notice her arrival and stood from his seated position as his eyes roamed over her face and figure, he seemed shocked once he realized that it the same girl that fought beside them just that morning. He sent her a small smile and a nod to acknowledge her and felt a thrill as she smiled back. It wasn't right, seeing her like this, in a gown such as that. She was a beautiful woman, of that he knew, but he had grown used to her warrior side, not the epitome of femininity that stood before him now. And now that he'd seen her this way, so very beautiful, he feared he could never unsee this lovely side of her.

Gimli's eyes widened just the slightest upon noticing her; though in his heart no maiden could ever surpass that of Galadriel. The hobbits all stared up at her with wonder in their eyes. No one was saying anything and it was growing a bit awkward. This was exactly what Amina had feared, to return to them in such an extraordinary gown that they would no longer take her seriously. Absently she longed for her familiar cloak and hood to cover her face and eyes.

"Amina, you are a true maiden of the night," Aragorn broke the silence upon noticing her standing beside Haldir. He glanced around and saw the rest of the fellowship basically staring at her in awe, the girl had them completely enraptured and he doubted she realized it. So he tried to lighten things up with, "Where did you hide your swords I wonder?"

There, she giggled. Only she brought a hand to her lips as the light sound escaped her mouth, this seemed to bring a few of them further under her spell. The eyes of Boromir and Legolas widened just a hair at Aragorn's question, the man's eyes even quickly going over her body once more. And from what Aragorn knew of his apprentice, she had no idea just how beautiful she was, or even noticed the look of interest she was receiving from not only the fellowship but from her own escort and other elves that passed them by in the quickly becoming uncomfortable reunion. Her lack of self-awareness must have been due to the fact she lived staying from one town to the next hidden under heavy cloaks. But enough of that, Aragorn didn't quite like all the eyes suddenly on the girl he'd been protecting and fighting alongside for almost three decades now, she was of elven kind and withheld their beauty, yet she was much more than that. Amina was nothing short of a sister to him, even if she didn't realize it by now.

"Thank you Aragorn," she turned and nodded towards Haldir, removing her arm from his and with a smile whispered another thank you.

He nodded at her and released her arm then eyed the elf prince and spoke to him in elvish, "Prince Legolas, my Lord wishes to speak with you for a moment."

Legolas gave him a firm nod as his gaze quickly went back to the half-elf before him, "I bid you all a fair evening," and as he passed he gave a small whisper in her ear for only her to hear, "my lady."

Turning she watched the two elves quickly depart to Lord Celeborn. Surprised at herself for the small blush that was now on her cheeks at his whispered words. It reminded her of the first night she'd come across him back in Rivendell. When he allowed her first passage over a narrow bridge, speaking the same words he did then as well. Though now, as she watched his retreating back, he did look rather handsome in his silver tunic. Her eyes then shifted to Haldir, he too was a handsome elf. But, she kept a smile from her face as she turned to face the others, so were Boromir and Aragorn and Gimli and the hobbits…all in their own way. It was simply this place of beauty that was playing with the minds of them all, it was easy to get caught up in the surrounding grace.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before she finally realized what she was hearing in the background and said in a hushed voice, "They sing for Gandalf."

Sam sent a small smile towards her, "Though they haven't mentioned his fireworks yet."

The gathered group shared a light chuckle and soon others started to talk about old and fond memories of the fallen wizard. It was a sad passing, that was to be sure, but it was nice to remember him at his best. Playful on one hand, powerful on the other; Gandalf was unlike any other.

Soon it was time for slumber, to get that peace in sleep in which Galadriel promised. There were four covered padded pavilions in a large, loose circle. The hobbits slept in one together, the men in another, and Amina by herself in the other. Gimli too had one all to himself for most of the night as Legolas still hadn't returned by the time they all fell asleep. Knowing these lands were protected and they were all safe, sleep quickly came upon them all.

If it weren't for Aragorn waking her she would have missed breakfast entirely. The rest of the day was spent getting Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn up to speed on the journey thus far. It was a bit grueling to have to go over the events before escaping Moria though it was necessary. Then, for those who hadn't been there before, were given a tour of the lands and different areas of Lothlorien.

Amina's hip healed quickly thanks to the healing waters and salve Haldir brought for her. By the third day she was finally dressed in her normal attire, feeling the comfort and familiarity of her leather boots over leggings rather than slippers. It became apparent to her that the rest of the fellowship felt more at ease around her in her usual outfit as well. It just firmly pressed the belief in her mind that she did not belong in pretty gowns.

For the rest of the afternoon she walked through the woods on her own, coming to rest quietly leaning against a mighty tree and watching a nearby fountain ever flowing, the sound of the water lulling her into a deep, almost meditative peace. If it weren't for the sound of heavy footfalls coming towards her she may have fallen asleep right then and there.

It was Boromir, his face looked strained, his shoulders more stiff than usual. She turned to greet him and watched as his eyes caught hers and he offered her a small smile. Returning it she gestured for him to join her in this moment of natural peace.

"This place becomes you, my lady," he finally spoke to break the silence and came to sit against the large roots of the tree.

"It is peaceful here," she admitted in a light voice, "in all my travels I've never once seen lands of such elegance."

He looked around to the fountain, statues, and old wide trees, "A place made for the elves."

From the side her eyes moved to his, "Men are also welcome here."

Looking up he met her gaze and leaned further into the tree, "Have you ever been to Gondor? Have you seen the White City of my people?"

She hesitated for only a moment, "I was born in an outlying southern village of Gondor, near the ocean. But no, Boromir, I've never seen Minas Tirith." Her thoughts fell to the man who rescued her; it was the city of kings, and the one place Aragorn avoided at all costs.

"You would be most welcome there," he said with pride, "though my father would not understand how a woman came to be a warrior."

"I," she looked to the ground and debated her next words, "do not have fond memories of Gondor." She could see the question in his eyes and knew she could not just stop there, "The other children were not kind to me."

"But why?" he looked at her with a mixture of shock and a bit of protectiveness at the obvious pain and vulnerability she held in her gaze.

She shrugged and it was then that Aragorn came towards them. Lucky, she was, because she really had no intention of telling her secrets to Boromir or anyone else for that matter. She should have been more cautious of her words, always she had the tendency to speak honestly. It was why she preferred silence.

With a nod Aragorn moved to sit beside Boromir with Amina moving to lean against a statue to face them. Looking to Boromir he advised, "Take some rest. These borders are well protected."

"I will find no rest here," his voice turned cold and weary, "I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me, even now there is hope left. But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope."

"But that isn't true Boromir," she told him and crossed her arms beneath her chest, "as long as the ring remains in Frodo's hands hope will linger."

"The strength of men is waning," he eyed her seriously, "I've seen it. My father is a noble man but his rule is failing. And now our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I," he paused for a moment, "I would do it. I would see the glory of Gondor restored."

"And what of your own strength? Or my own?" Aragorn asked from his side, "Not all men share the same strength and weaknesses."

"Have you seen it Aragorn? The white tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver? Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?"

Amina caught the gaze of Aragorn and she saw the flash of pain and hesitance in his gaze, and he spoke the truth, "I have seen the white city, long ago."

"One day," he looked between the two of them, "our paths will lead us there. And the tower guard shall take up the call: The Lords of Gondor have returned," his gaze moved to Amina, "and with them a warrior princess!"

She smiled, as did Aragorn, then both looked away in their own thoughts. So troubled was she that she jumped when Aragorn touched her shoulder, Boromir had apparently gone back to the others. How long she'd been daydreaming she wasn't sure. With a nod she followed him and found peace in spending the rest of the night the same as she had the previous two evenings; listening to the elves sing and take in grand stories of Gandalf the Grey.

They were to leave the following morning, to make way down the Anduin river. And it was such a morning where Amina woke early enough that she could find a good spot to watch the sun rise and slowly infiltrate the beauty of Lothlorien.

When she stepped out from under the cover of her small pavilion she saw that Legolas was already awake, he was standing and peering out into the trees. A small fallen limb crinkled under her foot and drew his attention. Upon seeing her he smiled and turned to face her, "Morning, my lady."

She nodded but eyed him with a sigh, "You may call me by my name Legolas. I would have hoped we were beyond formalities by now."

"As you wish, Amina," there was a playful look on his face as he stepped forward and took her hand within his own. Her eyes widened and she tried to pull away only for his grip to tighten, "follow me."

With brows clenched she allowed the elf to pull her along. He took her further up into the trees until reaching almost the very top, there he released his grip on her hand and held onto a beautifully sculpted circular railing to look over the thriving wooded lands. Taking cautious steps she soon came to stand at his side and her breath caught as she looked down and across the area. The sun was just beginning to crest through the large trees and a smile was brought to her face. "Thank you," she turned and looked at him with a sincere smile, "this is wonderful."

He peered happily towards her from the side, glad he could bring her this small amount of joy during dark times. He'd found this very spot the first morning they arrived as he roamed the lands and knew instantly she would appreciate the offered views. The looming journey would be long and dark, yet for some reason, he felt happy that he could share this small moment of peace with her. From one elf to another that could take in and appreciate the raw beauty of nature.

When the time came to finally depart; the elves of lorien provided them with boats to travel down the Anduin river, and plenty of lembas bread that would hopefully last for the duration of their journey. They had also given them each elven cloaks; the material was a soft, durable cloth that was said to behold hidden powers woven in each thread. Along with the cloaks, they were each given brilliantly sculpted green leaves to keep the fabric tied together at the nape of their necks. Boromir was given a golden belt, silver belts to Merry and Pippin, and to Sam some elven rope. Legolas received a new bow strung with elf hair and plenty of new arrows for his quiver. Frodo was then gifted with a vial from one of their favored stars, something that would give the hobbit light and hope during his darkest hours. Galadriel presented Amina with a pendant, which surprised her, it was a long pearl teardrop topped with three emerald stones in the shape of leaves, all encased in metallic twining with crystals in the shape of a crescent moon. She was rather shocked into silence. To Aragorn, the Lady of the Wood gave him the Elfstone, a precious stone that once belonged to Arwen. In the eyes of the elves, he would be known as Aragorn Elessar from thence forth.

As the others began to make their way towards the boats, Galadriel grabbed the hands of Aragorn and Amina, "One more thing," and she turned to her husband Celeborn who pulled out three sheaths from under a silken cloth. A long, dark one for Aragorn and two smaller ones, both the color of pearl to match the new pearl necklace lay there. "Son of Anor (Sun), Daughter of Ithil (Moon)," Galadriel peered into both of their minds, "_No matter what time or distance may come between you, forever you will be siblings of the heart._"

Galadriel then took the outstretched arm of her husband and moved to a position where she could better see off the fellowship, leaving the two longtime working partners to themselves. Aragorn and Amina thought over the words spoken to them and considered their own feelings for the other. They breathed in silence for a moment until eventually staring at each other, they laughed quietly and in joy.

"I have always considered you the sister of my heart," he told her gently, honesty pouring from his gaze. The time had come for another shift in their relationship. From mentor and apprentice; from working together as rangers, to acknowledging the sibling-like affections they felt for one another.

She smiled warmly at him, "My brother," and then she whispered quietly, her voice filled with emotion, "my family."

He wrapped both arms around her and they embraced for a long time. It was a special moment for them both, a significant moment that forever linked their souls together. It would no longer be her following after wherever he went. No. It would be them going together, as brother and sister, as a family.

Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, his own gaze withheld moisture gathered as he spoke, "I am glad to have you beside me Amina." And she could tell he meant to say more, to say especially because he could not have Arwen, the silence of understanding passed nonetheless. "Come, allow me to fasten the sheaths to your back."

Then she helped him with his and with another long shared look they joined the others. Pippin had teased them for taking so long, but it was all done in merriment. Boromir was already in a boat with the hobbit and Merry was with them too. Legolas and Gimli were in one while Sam and Frodo were off to themselves as well.

Aragorn nodded towards the elf and dwarf and she made her way to their canoe, coming aboard with the helping hand of Legolas. She sat in the front with Gimli to balance in the center and Legolas rowed for them in the back. Meanwhile Aragorn got behind Sam and Frodo and off they journeyed down the Anduin river, waving to Galadriel as they passed her and Lothlorien by.

The time for peace and rest was over. There was yet a quest to fulfill and the road would be one full of danger at every turn. They had lost one already in the mines of Moria, best to be careful and stay on alert.

**A/N **Blu - **_A little longer of a chapter since I took longer with the update. I hope you enjoy and please review, thanks!_


	9. Chapter 9

"Aye, I have taken my worst wound at this parting having looked my last upon that which is fairest," Gimli started in easily, "Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me."

Amina smiled behind her hand despite the fact she had her back to the other two occupants in the boat. It took all of her willpower to keep her shoulders from betraying her amusement. Gimli was quite taken by the Lady of the Wood. A dwarf fancying an elf where they were supposed to hate each other and yet Gimli was a fine and worthy dwarf if she'd ever known one.

Legolas's voice sounded outward, "And what gift did Lady Galadriel give you, Gimli?"

The dwarf grunted before answering, "I asked for one piece of hair from her golden head. She gave me three!"

Three pieces of elven hair given freely to a dwarf, Amina turned then and glanced over Gimli's head to see Legolas with an interesting smile pulling at his mouth as the sun glimmered in his own golden hair. She wasn't sure why the elf looked so happy in that moment, but it was quite a sight to behold. And; to herself, she thought there was hope of friendship between the elves and dwarves yet. When his eyes caught hers, with the sun's hues bringing out the very light blue of his gaze, she turned back around. It didn't help though as she could feel his eyes lingering on the back of her head for a moment longer.

Why she felt suddenly tense under his gaze she didn't understand.

A curious flock of dark birds circled around overhead. They didn't stay long, just circled around once and left in a different direction. She looked ahead down the river and towards Aragorn's boat and saw he'd been eyeing them as well. The birds weren't the same as those Crebain, they were much smaller in size and not as dark-feathered. They were either spies of Saruman or movement in the thick forestry just on the outside of the river bank disturbed them…perhaps both.

For days they traveled down the river, stopping at nightfall and making camp on the river's edge. Gradually the land shifted from lush green trees into barren wasteland going on for miles. They had but two more days of travel before they would set off on foot towards Mordor.

Agreeing to help Boromir gather more wood for the fire, Amina set off with him in the thin woods around the area. They hadn't talked much since leaving Lothlorien considering they were in separate boats. Most of her conversations were held with Gimli and at times Legolas. But now that she thought back on it, Boromir seemed to be growing more distant with each passing day with them all, as though it was a burden for him to be near any of them.

Hoping to rekindle conversation she asked him on their way back to camp, "So Boromir, would you feel up to more training with the hobbits?"

Finally he sent her a hint of a smile, which was nice to see as all he did was keep a frown on his face on most days, "That would be favorable, better to not get rusty."

"Come on then, let's get to the others," and she swiftly fell into a comfortable run to stretch her limbs, arms full of small kindling.

He followed behind her swiftly, quickly catching up and running beside her. The others seemed to notice Boromir's lightened mood and the hobbits were more than happy to pick up their old routine of training with him again. It almost felt like it did in the early days of their journey after they'd just set out from Rivendell. It seemed so long ago now. Aragorn was sitting off to the side jumping in with suggestions of his own to the hobbits. Gimli seated in front of the fire and watching them all with a small smile on his face. Legolas was shifting his attention between the swordplay and peering beyond the river and all around them, ever on guard. Amina took turns dueling it out with the hobbits, until eventually they tired out and moved on to some of the lemba's bread.

Boromir then playfully bat one of her blades with his own sword. She eyed him and saw his teasing smile. So she used her other blade and knocked his sword away from hers. With the fire ignited in both their gazes a spar started anew. Soon the clang of their blades sounded out through the camp until she finally had his sword blocked with one blade and the other pointed straight at his heart. With a laugh they ended the session in light hearts, even as he teased her in how unfair it was for her to use both swords.

Amina walked to the river and washed her face to cool down and refill her skin of water when a shadow fell over her.

"You know Light, you should probably continue with your lessons from Legolas."

Amina looked over her shoulder though she already knew it was Aragorn by the sound of his voice. His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked over to the other side of the river. Actually she wouldn't mind sparring with Legolas with his own two swords either. Her eyes sought the elf's, feeling her gaze on him he returned her stare before looking back over the terrain. She let out a small sigh and splashed more water on her face, "I'll ask him tomorrow though I could just as easily learn from you."

"I am no master of the bow," he told her quietly, "and there is little else to show you with the sword."

"There is always more to learn," she said and nodded to herself, "but you're right, I'll speak with Legolas when I wake him for his shift."

He placed a hand to her shoulder and together they returned to the campfire. The others had mostly settled down for the night. Aragorn told her to get some sleep so she nestled herself between Sam and Pippin on the soft earth and fell into slumber. It was always easy to rest after a good spar.

It seemed only a few scant hours later when Boromir shook her awake. He sat with her for a moment until he spoke, "Thank you for last night, my lady, I feel better than I have in days."

"Of course Boromir, I needed to get my muscles moving too," they stared at each other for a moment before she placed her hand over his own, "Get some rest my friend, you look weary."

He let out a long sigh, "I am weary, very weary indeed."

Keeping a frown to herself she told him again, trying to keep the worry from her voice, "Then go and find sleep, morning will be here soon."

She watched over the camp as the man finally fell into a restless slumber, tossing and turning but never finding a comfortable spot. She watched each of the hobbits as they either snored on or silently talked to themselves, seeing the breath enter and exit the bodies of each of her comrades in the cool dark early hours of a winter morning.

Snap.

Her face turned sharply in an attempt to peer out across the river, immediately on guard. Her eyes able to see further than the average man, but still all she could see were shadows dancing along the ground. Eventually she stood and walked to the river's edge, something dark and ominous entering her thoughts. As though a warning had somehow passed by and she couldn't grasp what it was.

All else in the area was silent, nothing else moved that Amina could see. And so she returned to the others just as the night shifted into a dim grey. Her eyes glanced to the elf, asleep with his eyes wide open. No matter how many times she'd seen him sleeping it was still a bit creepy to her. Yet seeing it made her think of the other who would sleep much the same way, the wizard Gandalf. Once again the grief of his passing overwhelmed her heart.

Needing a distraction, her eyes sought the quietly sleeping form of Strider. Aragorn was her family, the only family she had left. There was no way her heart would survive his passing as she lived on forever. Her days would be long and lonely. And really she was now all he had too, now that Arwen was sailing with her kin. So they would do what they've always done since the night he saved her life, endure this world together. She sighed audibly, unknowing that it caught the attention of someone else.

"Is something wrong?" a soft voice asked.

With a startled gasp she turned her head sharply to the voice, her eyes taking in the form of Legolas, watching him in the dark grey of morning. She laughed once to herself in comfort and looked to her hands, "My apologies for waking you."

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

Nodding her head, "Yes, I am fine."

He looked outwards only to eventually return his gaze to the half-elf, "I trust the evening has gone well then?"

"Yes, well…," she hesitated and noticed he picked up on it and explained, "I heard a twig snap just across the river, probably an animal passing through."

Legolas turned his eyes for a closer look across the river and admitted softly to her, "I fear something is following us, closing in on our location."

Her eyes widened in alarm and mutual understanding, "Me too! I mean, well do you think it's Gollum?"

"He is out there somewhere, never far from us, but that is not the caution I feel."

Looking at him and thinking about the growing darkness gathering in her own mind, she had to agree. Silence soon reigned between them and their sleeping companions. Lighter and lighter the skies became and she remembered her promise to Aragorn the night before. "Legolas, would you mind working with me on the bow?"

He took in the nervous yet hopeful look in her eyes, his gaze soon drawn to the pendant around her neck, thinking how perfectly it suited her. "Of course, we shall practice when there is more light and the others are awake."

She saw that his smile met his eyes just as did her own, both of their attention fixed on each other and missing the beginning glow of dawn. In all her years she'd never found a pair of eyes that blue and that intense before. Such a blue that was as clear as a sunny day without a cloud in sight. She'd seen elves of Mirkwood before, well Thranduil only, but she knew of the warrior braids he had weaved through the light golden locks of his hair. All of that she knew, yet there was something different about this elf. Like his father, he had that majestic aura to his being. Perhaps that was it; that was the draw to her curiosity.

Then she realized she was staring at him, so with a light blush she looked away and enjoyed the dawn of a new day.

"There are gleams of red in this sunrise," his voice turned serious in his observation. And this was when, in a low tone, he taught her the many different meanings that can be associated with the rising sun and some of those with the moon.

Soon Aragorn and the hobbits were waking and preparing breakfast. When Gimli moved to wake Boromir, Amina stopped him, explaining that the man hadn't rested as well as he should have and to let him sleep as long as possible.

After a light breakfast, Legolas led her into the woods. The trees were thin and barren but eventually he found a thick fallen log to use as a target. He went over the steps she'd already learned to refresh her memory and adjusted her stance and hand placement every once in a while as she let arrow after arrow fly.

When they finished she made sure to retrieve all of the arrows he let her use and was glad to find she hadn't broken any of them. She was getting a little better but still needed help with the weapon. She really held no desire to learn the art of archery, but if Aragorn wanted her to learn, then she would.

Everyone was ready to go when they returned to camp. Getting back into the boats the fellowship continued on their way down the Anduin river and finally the thickness of dark forestry began to swell alongside the banks.

A few hours had passed by when Aragorn's voice called out, "Amina…"

With her attention caught, her eyes peered upwards to see that they were approaching towering rock statues, as though two silent sentinels set out to protect the lands from evil. They were carved in images of ancient kings of Gondor.

"Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old," he spoke more quietly then shared a look with her, "our kin."

Warmth enveloped her heart and soul, the sense of belonging filled her and she wondered if it were possible to glow from happiness alone. It seemed everyone was stunned into silence as they viewed the giant statues. Boromir looked proudly on at the mighty faces of old.

Only a mile further and they found themselves pulling onto sandy shores, the river had turned into a lake only to then disappear over a vast waterfall.

Everyone started to relax a little as Aragorn decided, "We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We will approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes," Gimli started in albeit sarcastically, "just a simple matter of finding our way through an impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks. And after that it gets even better! A festering, stinking marshland, far as the eye can see."

Legolas suddenly peered out into the woods; that was when she felt it. That darkness she'd been feeling growing near. Very near. And dangerous.

"That is our road," Aragorn said, "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, master dwarf."

"Recover my…" Gimli grumbled.

Amina stepped towards the wood just as Legolas turned to Aragorn telling him urgently, "We should leave now."

"No, orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."

"He's right Aragorn," Amina added in, "we cannot stay here."

Quietly Legolas stared at her for a moment then peered back out into the woods, "A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near, Amina feels it also."


	10. Chapter 10

"Where's Frodo?"

Merry's two simple words posed for a serious question. Not only was Frodo found missing, Boromir was too. And while that would normally be fine, the overwhelming threat lay way to dread in her heart. Something wasn't right. She would question why she felt so in tune with her surroundings later, for now they needed to find Frodo. Legolas and Gimli went in one direction while the three hobbits in another, Aragorn and Amina heading out a separate way.

It took a good twenty minutes before she spotted him and signaled to Strider of his location. They shared a look and slowly approached him, the poor hobbit looked so shaken.

"Frodo?" she gently called out.

"It has taken Boromir," the hobbit announced.

Aragorn immediately asked, "Where is the ring?"

Only the half-ling suddenly moved back from him while yelling out, "Stay away, both of you!"

Sharing a hurt glance with Amina; Aragorn told him, "Frodo…we swore to protect you."

"Can either of you protect me from yourself?" he asked and slowly showed the ring to them glowing beautifully in his palm, "Or would you destroy it?"

Amina kneeled down to his height and kissed his cheek, barely paying attention to the band of gold he carried, "I am so sorry you must endure this Frodo."

"I would have gone with you to the end," Aragorn promised and closed the hobbit's fist over the ring, "into the very fires of Mordor."

Amina wanted to cry but she understood, the ring had already broken the fellowship twice now; he had to do this on his own. Aragorn was going to let him go, he had to. Frodo was right to fear them and the others, eventually the call of the ring would betray them…one by one.

"I know," Frodo admitted softly as he looked at them both, "look after the others, especially Sam, he will not understand."

Suddenly she pulled back several steps from the hobbit and withdrew both of her blades in a tight grip, her keen ears picking up something drawing near. Aragorn seemed puzzled at first but then drew his own sword, urgently whispering to Frodo, "Go Frodo!"

The hobbit then looked down and saw the glowing blue of his own sword Sting and hesitated a moment.

"Run!" Aragorn harshly whispered, "Run!"

Finally he backed away and turned to dash into the woods towards the shore. Aragorn and Amina looked at each other and turned as one, walking out to find a swarm of uruk-hai running towards them. They were huge, standing tall with thick black muscles lining their greased bodies. Giving her blades a little twirl she followed in Aragorn's example and began to run and meet them head on.

They killed the first few easily. Aragorn may not be a master with the bow and arrow, but he most definitely was when it came to the sword. And as he went skillfully through each enemy that neared him, Amina's body flew in her dance in the tempo of battle. Her body constantly in motion as it twisted, ducked, and jumped in a switch of offense and defense. Never stopping in movement, the flow of her twin swords blocked the hard swing of an enemy blade just as her other stabbed into the neck of another uruk-hai. Chancing a quick look found Aragorn faring well, but they were rapidly becoming outnumbered.

She wanted to get closer to him but there were just too many of them. That and she knew she would fare better if she kept the distance between them. He had not trained to fight back to back with someone; she could if necessary, but he wanted her to know how to survive if she had to fight on her own. So she continued to move, with every twirl one of her blades fell a foe, at times killing two or more at a time.

Shouts of "Find the half-lings!" were heard just as Amina noticed arrows flying through the air and killing several Uruk-hai. Relief began to enter her heart as it was obvious that Legolas and Gimli found them! The four of them squared off and cut down each nasty Uruk-hai that dared cross them. But where was Boromir and the three hobbits!?

A sudden blast from a horn sounded out, it was the horn of Gondor. They then battled their way through down slopes towards the lake. Aragorn and Amina raced past the running enemy and to her horror she saw Boromir kneeling with three black arrows protruding from his chest and abdomen, where the hobbits were, she didn't know. But the worst part was an Uruk-hai standing before him with another arrow nocked to strike him in the head at close range. Her stomach dropped and from the corner of her eye she saw Aragorn leap towards them. Chasing after him, she followed up his first couple strikes with a few of her own, double teaming the foul creature. He pushed her off him in a great showing of brute strength. Aragorn saw his chance at the distracted beast and sliced off his arm and impaled him. Sickeningly the ghastly thing pulled himself further into Aragorn's face and growled, only to soon have its head cut off when he pushed him off and took the final swing.

Amina was already at Boromir's side before the Uruk's head hit the ground, her blades had fallen at her feet and tears falling freely down her face, looking him over. In a painful gasp he told her, "They took the little ones."

Aragorn came to his other side and tried to stop the flow of blood from his shoulder, this only caused the man more panic, "Frodo, where is Frodo!?"

"We let him go," Aragorn told him.

"Then you did what I could not," he looked at them in shame, "I tried to take the ring from him."

Amina wiped her brow as Aragorn told him, "The ring is beyond our reach now."

He grabbed the woman's hand as he peered between them, "Forgive me, I did not see. I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir," she said in heartache, "you did not."

"You fought bravely," Aragorn told him, "You have kept your honor." He then tried to deal with the man's wounds, even though they all knew it was too late. Legolas and Gimli arrived and observed in a sad, knowing silence.

"Leave it!" Boromir finally yelled out, "It is over. The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin."

And as passionate as any had ever heard, Aragorn promised, "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall. Nor our people fail."

"Our people…our people," he said in dizziness.

"Yes Boromir, our people," Amina told him, accepting what fate lay ahead of them as the heart-sister of a future king. With a glance towards his sword Aragorn quickly placed the hilt in Boromir's grasp who then brought it to his chest.

The man was wheezing as he continued to fight, "I would have followed you, my brother and sister," and with a last meaningful glance to Aragorn, "my captain…my king."

Those were the last words spoken by Boromir. Amina let out a small sob. She's seen and killed countless times. Watched people she loved die yet the pain never lessened. Aragorn first spoke words of farewell to the fallen man and then placed a comforting hand to her shoulder. She was young and so different from the elves, they lived for so long with each other as companions, death was not something that was common for them. Yet for her it was.

But now was not the time to despair, hurriedly Aragorn lifted her up to stand. They would not allow his body to remain by the decaying uruks he'd slain. Legolas was quick to collect his arrows. They reached the shore and sent the body of Boromir over the waterfall in one of the remaining boats. There was only one left now as they had seen Sam with Frodo close in to the other side of the lake.

Legolas peered across the distance, "If we are quick we will catch Frodo and Sam before nightfall."

But Aragorn didn't react at all, just stared at the hobbits from across the shore.

"You mean not to follow them," Legolas realized.

Aragorn nodded, "Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

In grim realization Gimli solemnly said, "Then it has all been in vain, the fellowship has failed."

Aragorn smiled at him, he tugged on Amina's hair then placed a hand on each shoulder of Legolas and Gimli, looking at them, "Not if we hold true to each other."

"We can't abandon Merry and Pippin to certain torment and death," Aragorn sent his young apprentice a look, "Not while we have strength left," he placed his freshly cleansed long knife back into place, "leave all that can be spared behind." A sudden glint of determination filtered into his steel blue gaze as he coldly said, "Let's hunt some orc."


	11. Chapter 11

Thank the Valar her body was well conditioned. Swiftly they traveled in the heat of the day, even by the coolness of night they ran. Only resting for a few hours at a time to ensure they catch up with the dear hobbits. In their brief moments of rest they had dubbed themselves the Four Hunters. It was a silly thing but if it kept them going at their fast pace then so be it.

Aragorn was currently laying down with his ear concentrating on the rock below. With a grim sigh he rose and eyed them each, "Their pace has quickened, they must have caught our scent."

"Come on Gimli!" Legolas shouted back at the dwarf.

And the dwarf put his full effort into chasing them down, rambling occasionally as they went along. They'd been at it for three days, but getting closer each day, they would not stop until they found them. Legolas, it seemed, was taking careful measures to make sure they didn't leave Gimli behind.

Around noon on the same day Aragorn suddenly stooped low to the ground and gingerly picked up one of the elven broaches given to the fellowship by Galadriel.

"Is that…is that what I think it is?" Amina asked hopefully.

Aragorn nodded staring at it, "Not idly do the leaves of lorien fall."

Stopping next to Aragorn, Legolas peered at it as well, "They may yet be alive."

"Less than a day ahead of us, come!" and Aragorn was off running again.

Amina put her skin of water away and chased after him, followed soon by Legolas as he called for Gimli over his shoulder. They were finally truly gaining on them!

On and on they ran, only slowing occasionally for Gimli to catch up with them. Legolas and Aragorn took turns leading them, Amina was never far behind. The poor dwarf and his short stout legs were doing all they could for him.

As the day was just beginning to wind down they slipped into the borders of Rohan. Aragorn paused to let himself and the others get a little breather, "Rohan," he said looking over the lay of the land, "Home of the horse-lords."

"Something is wrong here," Amina softly spoke, her voice carrying over the wind.

Aragorn thought for a moment and added, "Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us."

Running slightly ahead to view over the hill, Legolas barely caught her elbow with his own when he passed her by. He glanced back and was ready to apologize but she just waved him on, with a small smile he looked over the perch.

Legolas," Aragorn called out, "what do your elf eyes see?"

The elf peered into the distance, "The Uruks turn northeast," then spoke with sudden clarity, "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"

Gimli and Amina shared a look as Aragorn spoke what they all feared, "Saruman."

And ignoring the exhaustion they pushed on their chase with renewed determination. They could not allow Saruman to get his hands on Merry and Pippin. He would torture and murder them once he learned all he could of Frodo and Sam, learned all he could of the ring and their quest.

On and on they pushed their way through the lands of Rohan, catching up with the pack of uruk-hai little by little. Nightfall had fallen a long time ago and still they ran. A sound was heard behind from behind them, a great gasping noise. It was Gimli, he'd stumbled once again, rolling down a small hill the others just passed. The poor dwarf had to be bruised beyond his limits yet still he persevered.

Looking at the others Aragorn called them to a halt for a small while. He kept watch for an hour while the others slept, Legolas after him. Amina was to take the next watch but Aragorn woke and ordered to drink up and start running again. Two hours of rest may not be much, but Amina was just beginning to get feeling in her toes as they started out.

A thick grey mist enveloped them in their pursuit during these dark early morning hours. It seemed the fog wrapped around their figures, adding weight to their legs in order to slow them down. It was mere willpower and strength of mind that kept them pushing through.

When the sun finally began to rise, Legolas stopped quickly with alarm etched on his face as he peered at the sky, "A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night."

They stared at each other and started running faster than before. Never stopping or even slowing just a little; drinking what was left of their water supply in their haste. At mid-day a growing roaring thunder of horse hooves pounded into the very ground. They hid just in time behind a large boulder as the horse masters flew by.

Seeing they were of Rohan, Aragorn led the trackers out into the fields and called to them, "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?"

The leader in front rounded his riders and slowly they all began to circle them, there were so many of them. When they pointed their spears towards all of their necks, the remaining members of the fellowship put up their hands.

"What business does an elf, man, a woman, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" The apparent leader spoke, "Speak quickly!"

"Tell me your name horse master," Gimli smarted, "and I shall give you mine."

Thrusting his spear to his companion he got off the horse and stalked towards them, "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

In the blink of an eye Legolas had a deadly arrow poised right at the man in close range, "You would die before your stroke fell!"

The spears came closer and the moment grew tense. Amina pushed his arrow down as Aragorn started to speak, "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn; and my sister Amina. This is Gimli, son of Gloin; and Legolas of the Woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," the leader spoke and removed his helmet just as the spears were withdrawn from the fellowship, "not even his own kin." He looked at them each in the eye and started in explanation, "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan and for that we are banished." Taking a few steps around them he continued, "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"But we are not spies," Amina urged.

Aragorn continued for her, "We track a party of uruk-hai westward across the plain, they've taken two of our friends captive."

An ill look crossed his face, "The uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

"What?" she asked in a breathless tone, Legolas placed a hand to her shoulder in comfort, feeling the grief of their loss hitting him as well.

"But there were two hobbits! Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli demanded.

At his confusion over the term, Aragorn clarified, "They would be small, only children to your eyes."

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," he pointed towards a smoking pile not to far off in the distance.

"Dead?" Gimli asked in grim realization.

"I am sorry," as the group takes this dreaded news in the man whistled loudly, "Hasufel, Arod!" Two horses moved up, "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." Putting his helmet back on and mounting his horse he looked down at them, "Look for your friends but do not trust a hope, it has forsaken these lands." And finally to the riders he yelled, "We ride north!"

Gimli, Amina, Legolas and Aragorn watched as the banished riders took off north. Then looked grimly at each other and quietly mounted the horses. Legolas rode in front of Gimli while Aragorn rode with Amina behind him towards the smoking pit just beyond.

"Aragorn," she whispered brokenly, her hair flying in the wind.

The man placed his hand over hers as she held onto him and squeezed it tightly, speaking in a low voice for only them to hear, "I know my sister, do not give up faith until we find them, no matter what."

On the other horse the elf and dwarf managed a small conversation of their own. It began when Gimli noticed, "Pointed ears? The lass has the ears of an elf, why I never knew."

The male elf tightened his mouth and eyes as he thought over what she previously told him, "Amina is a half-elf."

"Aye," the dwarf spoke in softer tone, "she's got the beauty of the elves does she not?" But before Legolas could respond to Gimli's comment he cut him off, "the fellowship is truly broken now, we couldn't even save the two hobbits."

"All is not lost Gimli," Legolas told him, "do not lose hope until evidence confirms our hearts denial."

He thought about what Gimli had said before, about Amina holding the beauty and grace of the elves. It was true, she did. Her face was fair but it was her eyes that drew his gaze in. Beauty was something he was familiar with, there have been many lovely maidens he'd had the pleasure to know throughout his long life, warrior maidens at that. So no, she was not the first breathtakingly beautiful fiercely fighting female he'd kept in his company, yet there was something different about her. Then there was this new development between Aragorn and the girl. He had called her his sister. No longer were they companions as rangers. No longer were they Strider and Light. They were Aragorn, the rightful king of Gondor, and she his sister of the heart. He'd known Aragorn for a long time yet he knew nothing of the woman that traveled with him for so many years. Still though, he peered over towards the claimed siblings, an uneasy feeling gripping his heart upon seeing her arms around Aragorn's torso and him holding onto her hand just as tightly.

Shaking his head once to clear all thought except in finding the missing hobbits, he turned his attention back to where it belonged. There would be nothing more on a beautiful half-elf and her contented smiles that didn't belong to him.


	12. Chapter 12

They arrived at the smoking, stinking pile of carcasses. One of the Uruk's heads was cut off and impaled on a Rohan spear. The sight before them was disheartening. Gimli had silently yet quickly set about sifting through the remains, looking for a sign of the missing hobbits. Amina too started looking through them while the elf and man seemed lost in thought.

With a soft breath of air Gimli pulled out a piece of charred silver, "It's one of their wee belts."

"No," she teared up and walked towards him to get a better view. But it was true, it was one of their belts, charred beyond recovery, a belt given to them by Lady Galadriel herself. She kneeled to her knees, bringing herself to Gimli's shoulder and let her tears fall. When he placed a battle-hardened hand to her shoulder she began sobbing. And that was when the dwarf, albeit a little uncomfortably gave her a hug and let her cry. Four! Four they had now lost! And Frodo and Sam were on their own! Why had they ever even bothered with the fellowship!? She felt outrage and failure as the losses of Gandalf, Boromir, Merry, and Pippin washed through her heart and soul.

Legolas had his head bowed, speaking softly to himself in elvish, "May they find peace in death."

Kicking an uruk-hai helmet and falling to his knees in anguish Aragorn let out a great yell to release the anger and hurt in his heart at losing their fallen comrades.

Amina's tears finally came to a slow stop and she pulled back to give the dwarf a sad, thankful smile. He returned it slightly and was about to say something when Aragorn's voice was heard, "A hobbit lay here, and the other." He crawled along and followed their tracks, telling the others that their hands were bound by rope. Still though he stood and continued tracing the last steps of the hobbits and came across a length of rope that had been cleanly sliced through, "Their bonds were cut."

Gripping Gimli's hand in her own she stood and they followed Legolas as they went after Aragorn's pursuit.

"They ran over here," he studied the ground closely, "they were followed." As a group they ran, following the tracks, Amina could see them now for herself just as Aragorn finished when they came to a thick line of trees, "The tracks lead away from the battle…into Fangorn Forest."

The forest before them was dark and dense. Gimli was ill at ease when it came time to go in there, but they must. There was hope the hobbits still lived and they had to get to them! They had to find them before Saruman!

Not far into the forest Gimli noted some leaves covered in a thick black fluid. Upon tasting it, and subsequently spitting it out, he announced that it was orc blood. It gave them hope that perhaps the hobbits managed to kill their follower. Then they came across the body of the orc, it had been crushed almost beyond recognition. The fellowship eyed each other warily, how had Merry and Pippin managed a feat like that?

Following the bizarre marks in the ground, they found they were widely spaced and the footsteps of the hobbits disappeared entirely. Still they followed the large indentations in the forest floor. "These are strange tracks," Aragorn mused aloud.

Amina stared at it and remembered the alternating tracks to the left and right that led them here so far. Then she looked at a nearby tree and studied the trunk, "It is almost as though the trees themselves were walking."

"Gah, the air is so close in here," he raised his axe as he heard foul noises, "it's messing with our minds."

"This forest is old. Very old," Legolas peered around him, "So old that I feel young again. These trees are full of memory," he stared at them as though he could hear and feel the trees thoughts for himself, "and anger."

More groans enveloped them, louder this time, "What is that noise coming from?" Amina asked quietly as she came to stand beside Legolas.

He glanced to her and caught her eyes and he was again reminded at how young she must truly be, "The trees are speaking to each other."

"Gimli! Lower your axe," Aragorn harshly whispered.

The dwarf did so in realization that he was being viewed as a threat to the forest.

A flash of something bright in the distance caught the attention of both Legolas and Amina. They shared another look and he moved a few paces forward, speaking in elvish, "Aragorn, something is out there."

Amina and Gimli followed behind them closely, on guard.

"What do you see?" Aragorn inquired with a small glance back to Amina in concern, she seemed to be just as alarmed as the male elf. He would not doubt the eyes of an elf again, not after what happened when the Uruk-hai first attacked off the shores of the lake. Boromir may have been saved had he listened to Legolas when he first told them of the growing threat in his mind.

Whispering, Legolas spoke, "The White Wizard approaches," and he then nodded slightly towards the right.

Closing his eyes in resignation, Aragorn quietly commanded them all, "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us."

Just as Aragorn gripped the hilt of his sword Legolas readied an arrow to his bow. Amina criss-crossed her arms to her shoulders in anticipation for drawing her blades just as Gimli tightened his grip on his trusted axe.

"We must be quick," Aragorn told them.

And with a yell the four of them leaped up to face the bright light of the approaching wizard. Gimli threw his axe only to be deflected same with the arrow Legolas had released. Aragorn sword grew to hot to the touch while Amina's blades became far too heavy for her to even keep a grip on them as they dropped to the forest floor.

Unarmed and at the mercy of the White Wizard they were blinded by the gleaming bright light that came from the wizard's direction. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits."

"Where are they?" Aragorn boldly demanded.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

There was something familiar about this wizard, and Amina felt no alarm in her heart, when she should while facing a being this powerful.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

Slowly the painful brightness of the light emanating from the wizard began to dim, revealing the one who was supposed to have passed in the mines of Moria.

"It cannot be; you fell." Aragorn, like the others was in disbelief.

Legolas, Gimli, and Amina fell into a bow in front of Gandalf, the White Wizard. He then began to explain to them the long and weary battle against the balrog. How he'd fought against him from the lowest part of Middle-earth to the tallest peak of Misty Mountains.

Gandalf spoke of how he strayed out of his thoughts but was sent back now where he was still needed. It was the will of the Valar that he returned to them. Amina felt awed by the whole experience, and hope swelled within her heart, making her want to see this all through to the very end. The Valar were behind their quest, what more assurance was needed?

Then they began to tell Gandalf of their ventures so far, speaking first of their stay in Lothlorien. The battle fought after they'd docked by the lake, and of the sad truth of Boromir's death. Told him of the days they've spent chasing after the hobbits, explaining to him of the horse master's announcement that Saruman claimed the lands of Rohan. And finally re-telling the count in following the tracks of Merry and Pippin into Fangorn.

Despite knowing and seeing how weary the group before him stood, there was work to be done. Gandalf started walking back the way they'd just come, "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed."

They talked over everything else once again and spoke of the hobbits and how they were in the care of an Ent by the name of Treebeard. Still they walked, exhaustion slowly ebbing out of their veins in light of what was to come.

When the group of five exited Fangorn Gandalf let out a curious whistle into the air. Not long afterwards came the visage of a beautiful white horse galloping towards them.

In a soft voice Legolas said, "That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell."

"Shadowfax," Gandalf stated with a smile as he gently caressed the side of the horse's head, "He's the lord of all horses and he's been my friend through many dangers."

Retrieving Hasufel and Arod, the five began to ride in earnest towards Edoras, the home of the king, crossing through the plains swiftly and with purpose. For hours they traveled. When they topped a slight hill, the city came into view. They paused for a moment looking over the land. Amina could feel shadows of evil creeping into her the closer they came to the city. As though a cold finger of hatred wormed its way into her soul. Shaking off the feeling, she determined herself to help these people as best she could.

With warning from Gandalf to expect no great welcome they continued to ride to the king's castle. Nearing the holding a sad flag drifted down towards them, indicating the fall of Rohan in earnest.

They climbed the stairs and were met by guards. They ordered their weapons to be turned over, and with a nod of acceptance from Gandalf she handed them her two blades and long knife kept at her hip. They tried to take the wizard's staff yet Gandalf convinced them it was his walking stick. He portrayed himself as an old man and leaned slightly towards Legolas for support.

Grasping his arm, the elf led the wizard and the others into the dark halls of the king.

As they approached the king, Legolas released his hold and fell back with Aragorn, Gimli and Amina.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden King."

A dark haired, vile looking man began whispering into the withered king's ear. Honestly, the king appeared as a living ghost, his voice sounded as one too, "Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?"

"A just question, my liege," the dark man uttered and stalked towards Gandalf, "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appeal. Ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent!" Gandalf admonished, "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!"

Raising his staff Grima began to back away, "His staff! I told you take the wizard's staff!"

Hostile guards bought by Grima's treachery moved to attack them. Easily they dispatched of them, making them immobile as Gandalf continued walking towards the king.

Gimli managed to hold the worm still with a threat just as Gandalf revealed he was a white wizard. A true battle between the magical beings began. A woman rushed forward, Amina caught her wrist but the girl yanked herself free only to be caught steadfastly by Aragorn.

Bantering with ill words spewed from Theoden's mouth in the voice of Saruman, Gandalf met him at every cursed length. Finally yelling out a "Be gone!" and slamming his staff into his head ended the evil wizard's hold over the once good king of Rohan.

Letting out a moan the woman broke free from Aragorn's grasp and rushed to him, smoothing down his hair and watching as the glaze fell from his eyes and his face shifted back into that of a younger man. The hair on his head and beard turned golden and shortened to a more youthful length.

The king stared at the girl before him with tears in her eyes, "I know your face. Eowyn."

**A/N **Blu**: _Just want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing, I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. Another chapter should be coming out in a couple days._


	13. Chapter 13

The happy moments of the rejuvenated king turned bitterly sad not long after. Grima was turned away from Rohan and Theoden was made aware that his only son and heir had been killed. Gandalf relayed the news that war was approaching, and shortly after it was made clear by Aragorn that in Theoden's internal imprisonment he had sanctioned the banishment of his nephew Eomer with him thousands of men loyal to the true Rohan.

While the king mourned for his son, Eowyn and her maidens made sure to care for the distant travelers. She'd promised them all rooms of their own that would have a nice warm bed waiting for them and a hot, drawn bath after they ate their fill.

Gandalf went with the king to the grave site of the royal family, leaving the others to themselves in the halls. Eowyn had returned after ordering the preparation for them and was asked to join them at the table. Amina sat next to Aragorn with Legolas on his other side, and across from them sat Eowyn and Gimli.

It seemed the woman, niece to the king, took joy in the light banter between the elf and dwarf, though her eyes were ever moving back to gaze upon Aragorn. Amina though seemed to keep to herself throughout the duration of the meal, remaining quiet and lost in her personal thoughts as she ate and drank her fill.

When a warm arm crossed her shoulders and pulled her into Aragorn's side, Amina glanced up towards him. A slight noise was heard on the other side of him as Legolas quickly and quietly excused himself.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Aragorn asked in a soft tone.

Amina nodded once and relayed to him, and to Gimli and Eowyn who's attention were clearly fixed on them, "Gandalf has been restored to us, and the hobbits are hopefully still safe, but I continue to grieve for the one we lost."

"Amina," Aragorn leaned down and placed a kiss to her temple.

The half-elf then felt eyes on her and glanced up towards the entrance of one of the halls. Her eyes catching those of Legolas before he turned his back and disappeared into the darkness of the hall. The look on his face, her heart seemed to jump up to her throat as she stared where he once had been. He'd startled her; that was all.

"Aye lass, you should get some rest," Gimli broke her thoughts and a tender look in his gaze as he peered at her, "we all should with what we've been through."

"Gimli is right," Aragorn told her and turned his attention to Eowyn, "My lady, could you please show Amina to her room?"

"Of course my lord," she swallowed visually and stood, "this way."

Amina followed the beautiful maiden of Rohan and stood with her. She had expected Aragorn and Gimli to follow but they did not, so she looked to them with a raised brow in question.

His gaze caught hers and he explained, "I will soon follow, there are a few things I would like to discuss with Gandalf when he returns."

Nodding in understanding she followed the blonde-haired woman down the halls until stopping before a large wooden arched door. Eowyn opened it for her and led her inside.

"A bath has been drawn for you my lady," she began, "if you wish I will have your clothes cleaned, I have a few extra spare gowns you may have."

Amina turned from longingly staring at the bed to Eowyn, a smile brightly lighting her eyes as she smiled in gratitude, "You have my thanks, Lady Eowyn. You are a most gracious hostess."

The woman looked to the ground for a moment smiling at the honest sincerity of her words before looking back up to the beautiful maiden, "You are friends of Rohan and thusly friends of mine," her eyes clouded over slightly and she lost her smile suddenly, "though I do apologize, I had not known that…" she hesitated, "I will grab another pillow right away."

"But why?" Amina questioned in confusion before Eowyn reached the door.

Eowyn turned her head back to glance at her, "For your Aragorn, of course."

Eyes growing wide, Amina lightly flushed and took a few hurried steps toward her, "No Eowyn, please understand," she waited for the woman to turn around and look her in the eyes, "Aragorn is a brother to me, nothing more."

"Oh," and with that the lady's shoulders relaxed as she sent an apologetic smile her way, "Forgive me, I had assumed…you are very beautiful, any man would be foolish... Ah, forgive me," she blushed, "here I am babbling."

"It's quite alright and the same can be said of yourself," Amina waved her apology aside, "now that I think about it I could see how one would get that impression." Her voice had distanced at the end, her thoughts thinking of another who may have had similar thoughts. But why should she care how he might feel about the new affection between herself and her heart's brother, it did not concern him. And he knew that Aragorn's heart belonged to Arwen and Arwen alone. But it did, she realized with a frown, it did bother her that he; and Eowyn it seemed, thought she carried a romance with her own brother.

Her eyes rose again and she recognized the look in Eowyn's own distant gaze, that of a different kind of longing. Sadly she touched the woman's shoulder and softly spoke, "Aragorn saved my life many times, he taught me everything I know, and he has become the only family I have left to me. It is the same for him, although…" she drifted off thinking of his close connection with all the great elves of this world. He would always have a place to go to, and through him, she would as well.

"Although?" Eowyn inquired.

Amina gave her a small smile, "His heart does belong to another."

"Oh," she sighed in acceptance, "I see. Thank you for telling me," the two shared a meaningful look. "Well, go on and have your bath, I will have gowns and night dresses waiting on the bed for you. And Lady Amina," Eowyn smiled pleasantly, "it has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She sent her an honest smile of her own, "It is the same for me, thank you."

Soaking her sore muscles in the heated water, Amina allowed herself to fully relax, her mind automatically filling with ease. Always she had felt a closer connection with those of human descent. It must have been her mother's early influence. That and when Aragorn found her, saved her, she remained by his side and learned to fight. And he too is a human. The other rangers were human, those they saved were human. The ones who could look at her and make her feel equal were human. Her love for her brother and sister, yes Aragorn and Arwen, was great.

Yet Arwen is an elf. She is different though, Arwen had been ready to forsake her immortality all for the sake of love. In a way she was glad that Aragorn denied her in the end, only so that her sister could live a long life. But in other ways, that more than outweighed the other, she thought her brother foolish for casting Arwen aside like that. For what purpose was there to live for eternity if you could not spend it with the one you love?

She missed her dear sister of the heart. Arwen was the first elf to show her true kindness. The first to show the beauty there was in embracing her elven blood. The gift of her heightened senses, the ability to not tire as quickly as normal humans, it was all things she had taken for granted before she met Arwen and allowed her into her heart.

So no, she did not dislike the elves as she had previously in her early years. Aragorn had been the bridge to the realization that their race was fair and honorable. Still though, she wondered about her past. Mentally she could ask these questions, questions she could never seem to speak aloud. If elves were so honorable, then how could one impregnate her mother only to eventually abandon her during her greatest time of need?

Moving on from those dark thoughts, Amina settled back onto the realization that being half-elf was a blessing truly. It granted her more time on this Middle-earth, more time with her brother who would live an extended life thanks to his ancestor's blood. And though she tried to fight it, her mind drew up an image of the elf traveling with them. Legolas was a brave elf. Fiercely loyal, though that was to be expected considering he's a prince. Handsome to, she had to admit, even though she was sure all elves were fair of face and physique. How could one be so beautiful yet deadly at the same time?

Beautiful. Eowyn had called her beautiful, a woman who was gorgeous in her own right. Something such as beauty usually didn't concern her though. Before this journey she traveled always under the hood of a cloak, only known to Middle-earth as Light. She had never cared much for her appearance, long ago she accepted herself for what she was. She was a warrior, not some breathtakingly beautiful maiden waiting to be swept off her feet. For so long it felt as though Amina had died that night alongside her mother. Yes, Amina died and Light was born. Here lately though, the name Light was barely spoken when it came to her. Amina; that was her name, a name she was still getting used to being called again. No more did she hide her face and body under a thick cloak. Yet still she kept the comfortable leggings, dark blue tunic, and leather vest. Then she recalled the time spent in Lothlorien, wearing that incandescent gown brought to her by Lady Galadriel. While wearing the airy gown she had felt pretty and alluring, but it was false because that is not who she is.

With a sigh she rose from the porcelain tub and gingerly dried herself. A mirror was there, long and freestanding near the wall. Dropping the towel Amina walked towards it, staring at her naked self for the first time in a long while.

Carefully she watched random droplets of water cascade down her body, some falling from the tips of her hair. Her figure was lean and muscled, though the curve of her hips and swell of her breasts gave away her feminine body. The candle glowing dimly in the chamber barely gave off enough light for her to take in the two scars she always carried with her.

It was these scars that served as reminders of her life almost ending. The first and the longest was given to her the night Aragorn saved her, it came from the blade of an orc that sliced into her thigh. The line ran thin and white now, in a diagonal movement from the front to the side of her right leg. Had he not intervened when he did she would have bled out by dawn the next morning. The second scar was much smaller yet more deeply embedded in her body. Almost four months of following Aragorn, or Strider as it was back then, they were ambushed by wild men from the upper northern parts of Middle-earth. He'd fought well while she tried to hide, being defenseless and rightfully scared. Two of the men grabbed her and made to start raping her as they tore at her clothes. When she managed to kick one of them in the face, he quickly pulled out a pocket knife and drew it into her chest. She'd blacked out soon after, and Aragorn assured her when she woke in her panic that her innocence had remained in tact.

That was the first time she was taken to Rivendell…to be healed. She had known of Aragorn's intentions to leave her there given that she was half elven, but she cried and she screamed and she pleaded for him to not leave her there. Threatening to run away on her own if he left without her. And she told him everything about her childhood, how her mother had been betrayed by elves and that she could never live under the house of one. So he finally relented under one condition and that was for her to learn to handle a blade on her own.

It was that wound that made her want to learn how to protect herself so she had already made plans to beg him to teach her. It was a decision that sculpted the rest of her life.

A knock on her door brought her out of her old memories, she called out for whoever it was to wait a moment while she hurriedly put one of the gowns on the end of the bed. Breathing hard she snapped open the door to come face to face with Legolas.

**A/N **Blu**: _Here's an update, thanks fo the favorites & reviews, they make me very happy so please keep them coming!_


	14. Chapter 14

His usually light blue eyes seemed to gleam dark in the glow of the candle-lit room. He stood there, his eyes soaking in her wet hair, heaving chest, and the green color of her gown. His gaze peered deeply into her wide eyes. Legolas watched as she tried to slow her breathing just as her cheeks became heated in a little flush.

The way he was exploring her face, the way his eyes seemed to dive right into her very soul, it was confusing and it was intense. "Legolas," her voice was just as breathless as she felt.

The elf took in a long breath of air, catching the scent of the lavender soap she used for her bath. Closing his eyes to collect his thoughts he opened them again to tell her, "Forgive me for interrupting your bath, my lady. Some grave news has come upon us this hour and your presence is being requested in the king's hall."

Forgetting her new yet odd feelings just from being near him, she asked, "What has happened?"

"Two children have arrived, their village was attacked."

She nodded and followed him out of the room, closing the door behind her. Upon arriving, Legolas continued to lead her towards a small gathering. There were two children there, a boy and a small girl. They were weary and probably very hungry, the poor things. Seeing Eowyn already beside them, Amina quickly joined her. Memories of her own childhood creeping into her thoughts, remembering the days and nights she and her mother would go hungry and in need of a bath. She hated to see other children in the same state.

In a soft voice she asked, "Are you hungry, little ones?"

They nodded vigorously and Eowyn met her eyes over their heads then turned and called for a servant to get two bowls of warm soup for them. Moving into the eating hall, they placed them at a table to wait for the food. The gathered group listened in to the details the boy gave them on how they were over run by men, burning down their homes and killing. By the time the soup arrived the picture was clear.

As they ate Eowyn addressed her king, "They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the wild men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go."

"Where's mama?" the young girl asked in panic.

Eowyn shushed her and guided her back to the food while Amina turned to the others, "And they bore the white hand of Saruman. This was before he was cast out, now he will be fixed on revenge and regaining Rohan once more."

Gandalf gave her a slight nod and looked at the weary king, "This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash; all the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on, draw him away from your women and children," he leaned in close to Theoden, "You must fight."

"You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you, his men will return and fight for their king," Aragorn suggested.

Theoden shot that down though, "They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Eomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you," he told him squarely, "whether you would risk it or not."

Standing and eyeing him down, he smarted back, "When last I looked Theoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan."

The air grew tense as Amina watched with tightened eyes as Aragorn stared at the man yet held his tongue. No, he was not the king of Rohan. Still, he spoke the truth and there was no reason to purposely degrade her brother in such a manner. Luckily the tension was broken by Gandalf who asked what the king's decision was.

Helm's Deep. Gimli began to argue the point that they should stand and fight not flee to the mountains, but it was to no avail. Amina soon joined Eowyn in tucking the children in and eventually retired to her own bed chamber as well for the evening.

All of them found a long slumber at last that night; exhaustion had long taken them over. And when they rose in the morning they ate their fill to a large spread of eats. Amina remained in the green gown she'd borrowed from Eowyn while her clothes were being laundered. The two women spent more time together with the children and were becoming friendly with each other.

The announcement went out in the afternoon for the city folk to make for the refuge of Helm's Deep. Traveling to the stables with Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn, Amina watched as the people started in on their panic and their bustle to get things organized.

With a sigh Aragorn explained the king's reasons, "He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep has saved them in the past."

As they entered the stabled Gandalf quickly made to Shadowfax and turned to the others, "There is no way out of that ravine, Theoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he's leading them to safety, what they will get is a massacre. Theoden has a strong will but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan," eyeing them all before focusing on one he finished, "He will need you before the end Aragorn, the people of Rohan will need you. The defenses have to hold."

With a nod of grim acceptance, Aragorn promised, "They will hold."

Giving the horse lord a few strokes, Gandalf mused aloud, "The Grey Pilgrim, that's what they used to call me. Three hundred lives of men I've walked this earth and now I have no time. With luck my search will not be in vain. Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east."

"Go with haste, you will find Eomer," Amina told him in complete confidence.

Off raced the great White Wizard in his search for the king's nephew and his company of riders. War was looming over these lands, Amina felt it, yet she was also resolved to fight. It was either fight here for these people or somewhere else in Middle-earth. The people of this world had to stand together. And what else could they do now? Sam and Frodo were on their own somewhere in the wild, hopefully succeeding in making their way to Mordor. Merry and Pippin were under the care and protection of an incredible being; an Ent. All that was left was to fight against the forces of evil.

The people of Rohan would leave the following morning as it would take longer for them with women and children and the elderly traveling with them. They would also be vulnerable and open to the environment which would be dangerous with the sick and injured.

It was afternoon when Amina walked into the hall to see Aragorn speaking quietly with Eowyn, she'd overheard him complimenting her before he walked away from her. And now she was beginning to see Eowyn's draw to the former ranger. Aragorn was doing nothing to dissuade her sudden affections. Finishing the last of tea brought to her by one of the maiden's, she made her way towards the other woman.

"You look like you could use a sparring partner, shall we, my lady?"

Eowyn grinned at her and stated, "That would be most welcome."

Amina fetched one of her two short swords and followed the maiden of Rohan to an isolated part of the domain. With a small bow Amina was taken back by Eowyn's sudden and quite fierce display.

"Come Amina, do not hold back for my account, my brother has taught me well."

With a brutal smile the half-elf leaped and rolled to the side, jumped to miss her swipe and in a flash had the tip of her blade pointed towards her neck from a fair distance, "As my brother has trained me."

Eowyn let out a little laugh and the girls started in earnest, taking turns being offensive and defensive. It was a true rush to find another woman such as herself that could wield a blade rather well. Arwen could hold her own, she knew, yet never had they enjoyed a spar. Naturally Amina held the upper hand as she'd been actively training and serving as a ranger for many years now. But it was fun nonetheless.

They stopped and sat on the stone floor and drank some refreshing water as they recollected their breath. The two of them had been at it for a couple hours and settled easily into conversations of their respective brothers. Eomer was a great man it seemed, and it must have been a deep betrayal for him to have been banished for merely serving his country. But, Gandalf would find him and his company, Amina felt sure of it and then things would be set right. There really wasn't much that she would discuss when it came to Aragorn, it was clear the girl had developed feelings for him. While it was true that Arwen was set to sail to the Undying Lands, she didn't want to give Eowyn the wrong idea that his heart was free. It wasn't and it probably never would be. At least, romantically speaking, that is.

"So there is no one special in your heart Amina, no man that has swept you off your feet?"

Shaking her head from side to side a few times, she easily answered, "There was never time. Most of my life I've spent keeping to the shadows and hidden under a heavy cloak."

"So no one then? Not even a little crush?" she asked.

Amina strained her thoughts as she tried to recall any such feelings. The only time she had really felt anything…funny…was not to long ago in the glow of dawn. But that couldn't be what Eowyn was talking about; it wasn't possible, merely accepting a friendship such as she never had with a male elf before. So with a shrug she replied, "I've made friends with men, wizards, elves, dwarves, and even hobbits. Yet I don't believe I've ever felt this; crush, as you say. Or maybe I have and just didn't recognize the feeling?"

"Truly?" Eowyn let out a grin, "I'm not sure how to describe it, maybe that you are falling uncontrollably and are filled with lively butterflies with every shared glance. I've had only a couple, well two really. And it's been a long time since my last," she said wistfully.

"Falling? I know what that feels like, and it is thanks to my dwarf companion that I was able to survive."

"No," the lady laughed, "it is a different kind of falling."

Amina eyed her new friend with a raised brow, wondering just why exactly she was sitting here talking about crushes of all things. Still, she had to ask, "Different?"

She nodded and held a hand to her chest, "It is like falling in that your heart beats faster though you've barely moved at all. And either you hit the ground in agonizing pain like you would from a fall or just keep falling deeper and deeper in an endless pit. Most times the fall ends, but some times, the times where love is true, the fall will never end."

"Oh." Eowyn was a beautiful maiden who could allow such thoughts of romance and fantasy. Amina had never been afforded that luxury. Not that she thought less of the woman it was just that they were different from each other. Eowyn had beautiful and soft hands while Amina's nails were blunt and dirty more often than not. Amina could never say she was a beautiful maiden just waiting for a hero to come along and find love with him. In all honesty she didn't even know if she wanted love or what she would ever want from someone. "If anything, I may have met my heart's desire and slit his throat with one of my blades."

A slight groan was heard as the two women noticed Aragorn and Legolas walking towards them, "Such lovely words from a lovely maiden," her brother smirked at her.

"I am no maiden," she turned to the blushing Eowyn with apologetic eyes, "as you well know Aragorn." She withheld a groan of her own, just knowing how at least Legolas had heard quite a bit of their conversation before they stepped foot into the room.

Aragorn sighed and the two girls rose from their sitting position, wiping any dust away. Eowyn glanced between the man and elf before asking, "And where is your friend?"

"Gimli's love remains in the eating hall, where he finds his fill of bread and wine," Legolas told them with his gaze letting Amina know that yes, he had heard everything.

The four shared a small laugh as Aragorn eyed Amina, "There is still light left in the day, I thought you may want more practice with the bow and arrow."

"Ah," she readily agreed and turned towards her companion these past few hours, "Will you join us, my lady? Legolas is an expert marksman."

"I can't but thank you, I must return to my uncle. Have fun," she bowed and started to leave the room, "Oh, dinner will be served soon, so please keep that in mind. Tonight's meal and tomorrow's breakfast will be the last of hearty eats for a while I'm afraid."

"We will have her back in time, I promise," Legolas said then returned his teasingly captivating blue eyes to the half-elf, "shall we, my lady?"


	15. Chapter 15

Amina frowned as she glanced over her shoulder.

They had finally departed Edoras and traveled along treacherous routes along the mountain side in slow fashion. It was only treacherous because of how the women, children, and elderly were significantly slowing them down as they made their way to Helm's Deep. Not to mention the sick and injured being hauled in carts.

She wasn't frowning at the unhurried pace the citizens of Rohan traveled along, she understood the need to be careful. Her keen gaze took in a meaningful exchange of glances between Aragorn and the lady Eowyn and that is what made her frown. The noblewoman had made it very plain and clear that she developed affections for the man despite Amina telling her that his heart already belonged to another. She could see how it was happening right before her very eyes and Aragorn was doing nothing to stop the growing affections the girl had for him. Her heart ached for Arwen as she continued to watch them laugh and tease one another. This could only end in pain one way or another.

"May I inquire as to what has caught the lady's ire?"

She widened her eyes and turned to look at the elf Legolas, she hadn't noticed that he'd been walking beside her for some several minutes already, "Do you enjoy sneaking up on me?"

His lips lilted upwards in a hint of a smile, "That is not my intention; we elves are born with light feet."

"And no doubt you have mastered the art of catching others off guard ages ago," she told him cheekily though she was rather amused. It was silent for a long moment before she chanced to look over and up at him, seeing his incredibly blue gaze peering down at her, his question still lingered between them, "It is not that I am angry, just…worried I suppose."

Legolas looked forward for a moment to reflect, "And your worry concerns Aragorn."

"I," she breathed in deeply, curse the elves and their uncanny ability to read her so clearly, or at least this elf in particular, "yes, you are right, of course."

Legolas moved in closer to her, his tone of voice lowering, "You are a good sister to him Amina, do not let your heart be worried."

Amina blinked to cast away the sudden emotions swimming in her gaze, "And you are a good friend to," she stopped as something dark filtered inside her mind, turning back to the elf she saw that he to had sensed the presence of something sinister, "Legolas?"

His keen eyes searched all around them before his gaze caught the glow of her concerned blue-grey eyes, "Something draws near."

She followed after him as he quickly pulled way in front of the group. They came to a stop just over the crest of a hill to see a warg attacking two of the king's guards, Legolas took immediate aim and took out the large beast. Amina remained where she was as the elf ran forward, pulled out one of his swords and slayed the orc rider.

Legolas turned his gaze back to her and shouted, "A scout!"

With determination she nodded and ran back to alert the others. The soldiers of Rohan quickly took action as Amina raced for the horse Eowyn had given her. It was then that Aragorn approached her with firm eyes, telling her to remain with the citizens as they hurried across the plains towards their refuge of Helm's Deep.

"No Aragorn, I will fight with the rest of you!" Amina argued as more riders of Rohan rushed past them.

"I am trusting you to keep these people safe. Should some of them get pass it will be up to you to deal with them. Now go."

She met him glare for glare and in silence watched as he turned his horse around and joined the other riders into the battle just beginning below the next ridge. Filthy wargs with orc riders had just crested over a hill and descended upon the men and their horses. She could just see Legolas continuing to fire off his deadly accurate arrows as the horses of Rohan neared him.

Turning around stiffly she urged the people to move quickly for Helm's Deep. Eowyn's gift; Senna, did indeed prove herself as a capable horse. She was fast when needed to be and listened well to her commands and body movements. Senna was truly a grand horse, beautiful with her tan hide and gleaming light blonde mane and tail. Using the reins to move forward, she went up and down the line to keep encouraging the travelers to move faster. Eowyn herself walked with the others, giving her horse up to one of the soldiers. She too, urged them forward.

The battle was still ensuing as she ushered the last of the group down a large hill. Senna trotted gracefully just behind them. On they moved through the plains of Rohan in their second day of travel.

It was mere hours later when she heard joyous shouts up ahead, then she saw it, the great and mighty refuge of Helm's Deep. Turning Senna to the side to allow the last of the citizens to go before her, she eyed the route they just crossed, wondering what became of her friends. She was one of the last to pass under the gate and dismounted Senna, giving her a few strokes and whispering her thanks. One of the guards then took her reigns and moved her to be stabled with the others. She moved into the heart of the battlement and remained there. Waiting.

Waiting and hoping they would all return. Not that she was truly worried, all of her companions were hardened warriors. It would take a great effort to take any of them out. Still though, her heart was with them, while she promised to keep these people safe her mind was with the riders in their battle with the wargs.

For nearly an hour she sat there, Eowyn had found her and explained that they would need to share a bed-chamber, which Amina was certainly agreeable with. With a sigh Eowyn made her way back outside to check on a few of the people who arrived there from the other villages ahead of them.

Legolas quickly passed under the gates leading into the safe haven of Rohan's people along with the remaining warriors. He had one purpose in his mind, he had to get to her. How he was going to tell her he hadn't figured out yet, but knew that he had to be the one to give her the news of her brother's death. And now what of Amina? What would happen to her now that the only person she truly cared about was gone?

From the corner of his gaze he saw Gimli solemnly walk up towards Lady Eowyn. He didn't catch any words as he was much too focused in his senses to find her. Following the king into the main hall, he finally spotted her. She stood from her seated position, a smile bright and beautiful on her lips. She was happy to see him, he realized with a start, happy he was alive. Knowing that gave him a brief leave of grief, only for it to return worse than it was before. For her smile was about to be ripped from her face cruelly.

She must have been able to read the pain of disbelief and grief in his gaze as slowly her smile faltered. He stopped before her finally and she looked up at him to say, "The battle was won, I trust," she swallowed.

He nodded the affirmative, "But not without its losses," he paused as he peered into her eyes, "Amina, it's Aragorn, he has fallen."

Anguish stole over her heart and soul and just as he knew would happen, her smile disappeared entirely from her face as she hurriedly looked around, "Where is he, we must tend his wounds right away!"

He grabbed at her shoulder with one hand and leaned closer into her, "I'm sorry, he is beyond our reach now." Yanking herself from his grip she stared at him in horror. This wasn't happening, no, it couldn't be! Legolas took a step toward her, she took another one back, "Amina, he fell over the edge of a cliff."

He then brought his other hand between them, slowly uncurling his fingers to show her the gift Arwen had given her lover, her Evenstar pendant. A single tear fell from her eye and he felt his heart shatter even more, it hurt to lose Aragorn, but to see her suffering was almost to much. He would never forget this look on her stunning face, she was so lost.

She turned to move away from him, from this place, this horrible place! He grabbed her hand needing to feel and comfort her, she drew back from him viciously and glared, "Don't!" She could clearly see the hurt she was causing him but she needed to be alone right now, this couldn't be real! In tears she drew further away, needing to escape, "Just don't," she finished brokenly.

Legolas watched her flee to suffer alone. With a sad sigh he eyed the others advancing on him and walked further into the king's domain. It was his duty to listen to the plans and strategies for the war looming ahead of them all, despite the heavy grief that filled his heart.

It was well into nightfall before he approached her again. He thought perhaps she slept as they patrolled the grounds, but then he found her outside on the battlement wall. Leaning over the stone and peering up at the moon and stars above. In silence he moved towards her, leaning next to her, letting her know that he was there. For a long time no one said anything. And that was just fine by him as he had half thought she would break away from him once more.

It must have been after midnight by the time she broke the silence, her voice as soft and light as he'd ever heard, "The rain had just stopped when they attacked." He looked at her but she simply kept peering out into the dark skies. "I was young, only fourteen, and had never seen creatures like that before. Orcs. It wasn't until later I learned they were orcs."

She hesitated as memories began to consume her. There was a need she felt, a need to tell him everything. It was a strange feeling, but she wanted him to know what Aragorn meant to her. Legolas shifted to turn his body facing toward her, to encourage her to continue. He wasn't sure where she was going, but he didn't want her to stop opening up to him. If anyone here in this place could understand, it was him.

"The only weapon my mother had was a stick she found on the ground. They killed her immediately. They even started to," she gulped, "eat her flesh. It was horrible. I was hiding behind a tree but it didn't take them long to find me, they could practically taste my fear."

She grabbed her thigh and looked at him; he tilted his head, waiting for her to go on. Now he understood what she was trying to tell him, it was of the evening she first met Aragorn. The night the man saved her life, the night she lost and found reason to live and fight.

"I managed to get free from them and started running, but one of their rusted blades cut me and I fell. They circled around me. I was going to die. If I give in to my memories I can feel that blade ripping through my body."

She shuddered and he grabbed her hand in comfort. Legolas was proving to be a good friend indeed, of course he was, Aragorn had trusted him implicitly.

"And then they were gone. He came and killed them all. He found me and dressed my wound, fed me, took care of me for the rest of the night," she looked up again and met his eyes, "I still have the scar." He nodded once but remained silent, only giving her hand a light squeeze in his grasp. "Strider was the name he gave. I followed him. My mother was gone and I didn't know where else to go."

He smiled softly at her, glad she found enough trust to tell him of that fateful night. "I wonder," slowly, carefully, he reached up and moved a lock of her hair behind a pointed ear, "did he try to take you to the elves?"

Letting out a deep sigh, she looked down again, "He did, but not right away. Months later we were attacked and again I was injured. He had to take me to Rivendell for Lord Elrond to heal me," she unconsciously smiled as she remembered, "he tried to leave me but I refused. By that time I'd told him of my past and he understood my hesitance at staying with elves," noting his confusion she swallowed heavily and told him of her childhood. "My mother told me time and again how she'd been seduced by a handsome elf, as handsome as she'd ever known. At first she thought it was love, but if it was love, then how could he abandon her when she became pregnant with me? And so her love turned into bitterness, and she tried to instill that hatred for elves into me."

Her eyes took on a distant look once more as she recalled, "The villagers treated us poorly, the women ignored her and a few of the men would beat her from time to time. She was tainted in their eyes. The children threw rocks at me, hating me because I was different than them. Blind hatred and from what I know now, their treatment of us was rare. When my mother felt I was old enough she made the plans to move to another village far from there. We left, my mother died, and there was only Aragorn after that."

"And now you've lost him as well," he removed his hand from hers and slowly placed his arm around her shoulder, "Amina, thank you."

"I'm," she swallowed nervously, "I'm not sure why I told you all this. I guess because I know how much Aragorn valued your friendship and I," she looked up into his blue gaze, "I feel lost now, I don't know where I belong. Where will I go when all of this is over? And Aragorn," she choked, "He was my brother, my greatest friend."

He smiled gently and looked her in the eye, "We will be more than happy to have you in Mirkwood."

Shadows passed over her gaze, "Forgive me; sometimes I forget you are a Prince."

Legolas was confused by her words, "Amina?"

"I guess I should get some sleep," she pushed away from the stone wall and faced him, "I am sorry to burden you with my troubles."

He grabbed her hand in his and with his other grabbed her shoulder, staring at her with his intense eyes, "You are never a burden," his gaze softened as he looked at her, "you have my friendship also."

Her eyes glittered happily in pleasure as she smiled and to him it seemed as though the pendant at her neck glowed under the moonlight. Taking one step forward she brought herself under his chin and openly embraced him, the side of her face resting gently over his chest to clearly hear the steady beating of his heart. Amina closed her eyes as she felt his arms come around her and felt joy as he leaned his head to cover her own. Acceptance. For who and what she was as a person. Not a human; not an elf, but Amina who was both.

It was the first embrace between them and the warmth that enveloped was radiant and true. This first step was huge for her, openly knowing and acknowledging him; a male elf, as a friend. But it felt right, being here in his arms. And in her heart she knew she would value his friendship as much as Aragorn had.

Pulling back she looked up at him, "I can't thank you enough."

Speaking in elvish he smirked, "It is my pleasure, my friend."

As Amina lie in a hard pile on the floor next to Eowyn, she felt a small spark of tenderness in her soul. She still hadn't come to terms with news of Aragorn falling to his death, it just didn't seem real. In her heart she knew, even back then when he first saved her, that he was destined for greatness. How could his life be cut short like that? And Legolas, he was so kind to her, giving her the support and friendship she needed. There weren't many who she could truly call friends. It seemed though, as she gazed to the sleeping woman across the room that her circle was widening recently. Yet also her circle was diminishing.

There was no sleep to be had; to raw and fresh were her memories of Aragorn claiming her as a sister. How wonderful she felt to finally belong to a family again, only for it to be ripped away. Eowyn had been upset as well; Amina could just make out her tear-stained cheeks in the beginning light of morning.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by in a melancholy blur. She finally presented herself to the king and the others, Gimli lightly gripped her hand in his own in companionable silence. She valued the strength of the dwarf, he was another whose friendship she was gladly welcoming into her heart.

Legolas had sent her a brief smile, but all of their attention was turned to the different elements that Helm's Deep provided. There was a moment of awed silence when Gimli saw the glittering caves beneath the keep. His delight was a nice distraction, but it didn't remove the ill mood hanging over the remaining members of the fellowship.

In his place, Amina resolved to hold herself to Aragorn's promise to Gandalf that the defenses for Rohan would hold. While she'd never been in war before, she had seen plenty of battle and felt confident that she would know what he would do. She was not a natural leader as he'd been, but she would help these people as best she could.

It was after breakfast the following day, when she turned to see Legolas sprinting towards her in haste. He slowed and in his eyes was renewed hope and happiness, "He's here. Aragorn is alive!"


	16. Chapter 16

She blinked twice, "What?" her heart seemed to drop into her stomach.

"It's true," he told her, "he's just passed through the gate!"

"Oh!" she gasped and flew into his arms placing a hurried kiss on his cheek. She then grabbed his hand and ran towards the main hall, dragging him with her, "Thank you!"

She paused as she saw him, standing and tired, he'd definitely had a rough go of it. Still though, he managed to catch her and laugh at her as he swung her around once. His dear sister was crying against his chest when he looked up and saw Legolas approach them with a wide smile. Amina moved to the side of them, wiping away her tears, her smile never fading.

"You're late," Legolas finally spoke in elvish, then really looked his friend over and stated, "You look terrible."

Giggling beside them Aragorn shared in Amina's amusement. From her point of view she could see Eowyn noticing them and started walking towards them, only to be stopped as Legolas presented Aragorn with Arwen's Evenstar pendant. While Aragorn expressed his heartfelt thanks, Amina saw the pain in Eowyn's gaze even as she smiled towards them. She felt bad for the noble woman but she'd tried to warn her, Aragorn would have never been a free man.

"I must see the king," Aragorn was explaining, "as soon as possible."

With a nod, Legolas led them further down the main hall. Amina placed her arm in her brother's and walked into the king's room with him, still happy and in shocked disbelief that he was with her! She let go of her hold on him as he bowed to Theoden.

"While riding to Helm's Deep, I saw a great host marching for war against Rohan."

"Saruman, he's made his move," spoke Legolas knowingly.

"A great host, you say?" the king asked.

"All of Isengard is emptied," Aragorn relayed.

"How many?" he needed to know.

"Ten thousand strong at least."

In disbelief Theoden looked at him, "Ten thousand!?"

Amina closed her eyes in acceptance as her brother foretold, "It is an army bred for a single purpose, to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall."

Walking away, the king declared, "Let them come."

Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, and Amina eyed each other as the king and his men left with orders for every able man and lad to be ready for battle by nightfall. The course of the fellowship led them here to this fight. And it was probably the first of many to come.

They soon broke away from the chamber to catch up with the king as he patrolled his keep. All those meetings of strategies before being put into action of the new battle they faced. Aragorn had suggested he send out riders or call for aid from Gondor, from anyone to come help them. But it was all to no avail, they were truly alone in this war. There were just over three hundred here, that was including old men and young boys who were expected to defend Helm's Deep.

By mid-morning orders were shouted out to get the women and children into the caves, furthest away from where the battle would take place. Eowyn gave Amina a hug when she found her and wished her and everyone the best of luck. Amina knew she wanted to fight, but also knew Theoden would not risk the life of any woman or child. Why he'd even suggested she remain in the caves with the others, luckily Aragorn had come to her defense, and surprisingly so did Gimli. As she mentioned before, she was no maiden, she was a warrior. That and she was not a civilian of Rohan at the control of his whim.

Glancing around one last time in the caves before the war would start she took in families saying goodbye to each other, not knowing if they would ever see each other alive again. There were mothers begging to keep their sons with them and out of the war, scared children clinging to whatever comfort was available. It was a sad scene indeed.

She then followed the others as they made their way to the armory where weapons were being distributed. Amina was handed a bow from Legolas to accompany her swords and long knife.

Her brother then looked around and spoke quietly, "Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers."

"Most have seen to many winters," Gimli observed in a gruff voice.

"Or too few," Legolas looked disgusted, "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." Everyone around them fell silent at his words, and he turned around to speak in elvish, "And they should be," he turned again to meet Aragorn's eye, "three hundred against ten thousand!?"

Glancing at the people Aragorn addressed the elf in his native tongue, "They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras."

"Aragorn," he looked to the three of them, "we are warriors. They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!"

"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn loudly spoke in the common language and stalked off.

Legolas made to go after him, but was stopped by Gimli, "Let him go lad."

"Legolas," Amina peered up at him, her blue-grey eyes searching his and seeing his desolation, "What does it matter if we fight here or on the very slopes of Mount Doom in Mordor? We are part of this world and as warriors it is our duty to help these people if we can," her eyes glistened agonizingly as she looked at him and continued in elvish so the others would not understand, "if you do not agree there is still time to leave this place."

And with that she walked away as well, her heart hurting for probably just ruining her friendship with him. Legolas took a step towards where she'd went off to, but with another hand on his arm from Gimli he stopped as the dwarf said, "Aye lad, and let her go as well. Let them be."

But not this time, he shared an apologetic look with Gimli and spoke softly but loud enough for the others to hear, "I was wrong, forgive me." And he quickly made his way in the direction Amina left.

He caught her at the elbow just as he reached her in the hall going to her shared room. Looking in his eyes she could see how she'd hurt him, it was a blow to his pride and ego, she could see it in his eyes. Part of her could understand why he'd said the things he did and at least he'd had the decency to continue the conversation in a language the humans would not understand. She was part elf and could feel the emotions and sense of hopelessness of everyone in that crowded armory. It must have been worse for him being so in tune with his surroundings. Yet she couldn't shake the disappointment she felt at the time he'd spoken out of turn, where did the fiery and passionate side of the elf get off to? Still though, she never should have talked to him in that way. It was disrespectful and he didn't deserve the way she hurt him.

"Forgive me Legolas, I never should have said those things to-"

"No," he interrupted, "I came to ask for your forgiveness."

Reaching up she placed a hand upon his cheek, "I thought I lost your friendship," she almost whispered.

Taking a step toward her and placing his hand over hers, slowly he brought it down to hold it against his chest. His gaze piercing as he stared into her eyes, "My friend, it wounds me that you think so little of me. I would never forsake our friendship so easily."

She smiled shyly, "Thank you."

He nodded once and released her hand, as one they turned to face the falling sun through one of the stone windows.

Looking up at him again from the side she stated in confidence, "We will hold until dawn. Gandalf will be here and Eomer and his men with him."

Again he nodded, his eyes seeing further than she could ever hope to imagine, then he too turned to her and sighed, "Come, I must find Aragorn and apologize."

She followed after him, already knowing the two would make amends quickly. As they found him alone in a section of the armory, Legolas handed him his sword, "We have trusted you this far, you have not led us astray. Forgive me, I was wrong to despair."

"There is nothing to forgive, Legolas," he told him. The two clasped shoulders in the age-old greeting of warriors, smiling as though nothing had happened.

Gimli came in then with his chain mail dragging along the ground, tossing one to Amina as he entered. He had a rough time getting the unforgiving garment over his burly chest. When he finally did it fell in a clatter to the hard ground. Shaking her head at the hardy dwarf Amina pulled off her vest and slipped the chain mail over her head. It was too big for her, but like Gimli, there was no time to have it adjusted. It barely covered her shoulders and fell almost to her knees, any longer and she would have had to do without. Quickly she refastened the vest over the chain mail, it was heavy, but it was enough that she could still move around relatively freely.

Small banter continued on between the four of them, trying to keep lighthearted as they head towards war and probable certain doom.

A long blaring horn then sounded out in the background, catching all of their attention. It was Legolas who finally announced, "That is no orc horn," and ran out followed quickly by the others.

On and on they rushed, Aragorn finally taking the lead as they descended some stairs. Finding to their astonishment an army of elves lead by Haldir himself from Lothlorien.

Catching the end of a conversation Haldir glanced at them, "We come to honor that allegiance."

"You are most welcome," Aragorn said after he openly embraced the stern male elf.

Legolas immediately clasped shoulders in greeting with him, both elves smiling proudly at each other. Amina just looked at him and at the company he brought with him, slight awe in her gaze. She should have trusted her brother as he told her there was always hope.

Haldir turned back to Theoden, "We are proud to fight alongside men," he smirked at Amina, "and a stubborn she-elf once more."

She grinned at him and hugged him as Aragorn had. It was so good to see him and his kin to fight beside them in this war on men. Stepping back and seeing Legolas next to him and beside the rest of his kin, seeing that smile on his face and pride in his eyes, it truly warmed her heart.


End file.
